Positive Negitive
by moon dogie
Summary: My first fan fiction on this site: The Kishin was defeated befor it could reek havok on the worled. However the witches amass for resans unknown. Meanwile Stien has taken Crona under his wing and life at the DWMA apears normal. However manny turns will be taken and morals will be tested. MakaX fim-Crona rated M becaus things will become quite dark at times. Now updated on weekends.
1. Nightvison

RE-NOTE: okay so iv found out that alot more people are looking at this thing then i had first anticepated so i went threw and spell checked this first chapter just to show i give a damn. Denmark? Germany? Russia? im not complaing views are views but what specifcly atracted these people to look at this? an english text im sure thats siting and roting somware on ... ahwell. as they say in Germany "Genieben!" or something like that..

Oh how the professor loved the internet, how free it was, how it made him feel to have all the mortal knowledge at his fingertips. in his dark office his face absorbed the glow of the monitor as he surfed at the speed of light in the information highway. This would be how he spent his night alone to his thoughts and the knowledge of the world at large. "Hmm simply astounding. This data will assist me greatly" he said watching a YouTube clip of a cat trying to attack a printer. Suddenly came a sound, "wumph!" That's what it sounded like, like the rubber of a tire exploding on the highway it was dephening. Had Stien been struck? It was dark pitch black even, Stien couldn't see a hand in front of his face. he felt around with his hands scooting around with his legs in his busted up office chair. After knocking many things from his neat organized piles he found his window with the shade pulled closed. He raised the shade and the opened the window and felt the air of the midsummer night hit him with the smells of Death City. The power was out for the whole block and in the distance he herd a dog barking, this would not do...

Dark-dark-dark-dark-dark

dark-dark-dark-dark-dark

dark-dark-dark-dark-dark

Crona said repeatedly rocking back and forth in her cell witch was now pitch black, She could have gone out to her living quarters to find the candles that Stien had given her but she was to paralysed with fear to move from her bed. She held a pillow to her chest rocking back and forth waiting for rescue from the suffocating darkness, Some months after removing Ragnarok from her body Stien had decided to take the young girl in, her wicked mother had been slain but her abuse still showed in Crona who was on the best day a bit of a neurotic train wreck. "It-its so dark why is it so dark? Am I being punished did i do something wrong?!" her eyes shrank in memory of being subject to her mothers cruel punishments, Only now she no longer had Ragnarok to beet her senseless but he was also no longer their to keep her from slipping into a complete fear coma. She began to suffocate "BREATH" Stien had told her that "Breath. you have to breath that's the first step" Stien would tell her, Crona took long sperratic breaths which eventually calmed "I just need the candles" she edged to the side of her bed and tryd to stand but buckled under the wait of her fear. "Okay..." she took a breath. "Ill just crawl. I can deal with this...I..I can deal with this" she made a week smile

"Now wares that...No...Why is it such a mess in hear?" Stien searched threw a drawer in his kitchen for a flashlight which he had not seen since the last time the power had gone out and that he may have robed the battery's out of the last time his TV remote stopped working. "Curse you Stien, your lack of foresight will be your undoing!" He said giving himself a piece of his own mind. finely he did as many of us for a last resort pulling out his phone putting it to the brightest setting and using it as a flashlight. However he had completely forgotten about the drawer being open and thus walked into it breaking it loos from the cabinet thus loudly snapping and spilling the contents all over his kitchen floor, he sighed and stepped over the mess. only to look over his shoulder a second later, and their lay the flashlight poking out from the inside of an oven mitten Stien groaned rubbing his forehead.

The basement, His wayward daughter would be behind this door, That's what they called her the likes of Maka and Kid and the rest, They said that she was like some sort of long lost daughter. both being what most would consider mad they were a good match of personality Crona living in Stien's basement under his watchful but caring eye she grew fond of him assisting him in research and being trusted to run simple tasks, She still wasn't ready to collect supplys for him as an indecent with formaldehyde and freeonic-acid-sulfate which created one hell of a lab fire had clearly stated. He dug the key from his lab coat no bothering to knock as she would likely be asleep at this time of night. Stien was afraid for Crona and so he saw no choice but to keep her locked behind a strong door, He new that she wasn't evil and that her condition was becoming more manageable but it was to risky to everyone at the DWMA to let her stray to far from his sight or that of her trusted friends, afraid she may accidentally hurt someone or herself she still was infected with black blood after all, but she was free to come out whenever she asked, he even gave her an allowance for aiding his research. he unlocked the door with the heavy iron key, The tumblers fell into place with a clanking noise. He pulled the key out and stuck it back in his pocket and the door allowed him entry. Cronas living quarters were comfy but Crona didn't have the taste of most girls her age, She was what some may call a history buff, the room was full of vintage furniture and odds and ends. she like to watch black and quite TV so Stien had created a conversion kit for her TV, Her computer was a bit dated it was stiens old computer but it still worked for her.

The emergency generator was in the back near the basement bathroom. Careful not to make allot of noise he crept along the carpeted floor, Then like the howl of a wild beast he herd a sniveling moan so loud it made him jump with fright, he turned to the spot on the floor ware the moaning came from. Crona lay in the fetal position on the floor with her eyes completely shrunken. He lightly stepped over her thinking she was in some sort of trance and that it would be unwise to disturb her. "wait!" she called out to Stien as he passed "pleas don't leave its so dark and i just cant deal with that!" Stien spun on his heals with a startle "Crona you scared the hell outa me!" "I'm sorry.. I didn't know it was you..I thought you were someone else..." she said looking at the blackness of the floor on which she sat on her knees. Stien sighed "Well you made it this far in the dark on your own. hear" he handed her the flashlight and she griped it with her shaking hands "now hold the light on me so i don't trip" he said smiling and stood. The light trembled around him as he found his way to a panel on the back wall, He opend it knocking a cob web out of the way and pressed the ignition button which fired up the engine with a loud hum concealed by the wall, lights began to slowly flick to life and Crona turned off the flashlight with relief.

Stein and Crona sat at her kitchen after making tea on a portable Bunsen-burner because the generator wasn't strong enough to power the stove. Crona found that amusing that Stien would think to boil tea in a beaker instead of a normal pot. "Well I'm guna have to send you to get some wood glue. Maby some flashlights and battery's. This house wont hold up much longer if this happens to many more times." Stien laughed, Crona nodded smiling looking into her tea, "Uh by the way" Stien finished his tea. "When I first came in you mentioned you thought I was someone else." Crona looked up as if she had suddenly been accused. "Who did you think I was?" Stien asked with his prodding curiosity. Crona was quite and Stien was ready to leave it at that. "I thought you were my mother"

From the diary of Crona Gorgon

Maka and Soul took me out today after my errands and we had lunch, we had a good time, Maka held my hand aghen this time in front of soul that made me nervous but he didn't look or say anything.

Their was a man walking around talking on his phone, he acted strange and then i relised he had no soul, I wonder'd why...Iv seen others like him, I think when people don't use them their souls die, He seemed so unhappy, it made me glad to have Maka just seeing him.

I saw Justin law he was called by Lord Death and was occupying his time with the local church, He asked me for a donation and I gave him a couple of dollars, He thanked me and then told me if Id go to mass tomorrow god would save my soul but I didn't understand him I told him Maka saved me already, he seemed put off "oh child don't be be daft, a soul must me saved by god to truly be guarded from the path of the kishen" he spoke with a smile like I said something funny. I didn't know what to say but Maka and Soul told him that we weren't interested and the truth is I didn't care, Maka saved me and I think that's enough. In the end I think I scared him away. I think the way I moved unnerved him, it scares allot of people but I cant control it, my movements are so erratic and people don't want to deal with it, I'm better when Maka's around, she said its my nerves.

She kissed my forhead befor she left me at home, I watched her walk across the grave yard to the city as the sun set untill she disappeard from sight.


	2. Whenever You Breathe Out

Note: Finely geting down to buisness. Quick shout out to ChasezX3 for giving me a tip off on some new offic software! Thanks now people can actuly understand what im saying as english! I dont own soul Eater of corse nor do I own Modest Mous or any of thare songs that I have named the storry and chaptes after. "Bulding Nothing Out of Something" has been the unoffical sound track to this fanfic. Give it a listen it fits veary well!

Spirit stood in front of Stiens laboratory, it was a hot late evening for him to be wearing a pinstripe black suit and he was starting to sweat profusely. Stien didn't allow smoking in his laboratory, not even for himself, ever since a lab fire in 2006 took most of the lab, as smart as Stien is one of the few things that will make him change his own rules is a good old fashond lab fire its the only way he ever rememberd to take care of himself, and right now Stien rely needed a fire to wake him up. Spirit stepped on his cigaret and went inside, the kishin was stopped after it arose, the battle was hard fought and alot of people were killed misters were harvested by the kishan and some weaker weapons were destroyed completely. But Stien took things to heart and he was completely scared by the event. At most times he was his normal self, but in others he would sink into complete apathy the poor fool didn't even want to research anything, All he'd do is sit around and doing a series of random and meaningless tasks, He would stop sometimes having delusions but he would never say what they were at the time and he uselessly forgot. During the days he would be normal ol Stien aghen( which generally lasted for months at a time) he would say that he sometimes saw woman whom he secretly loved but also was repulsed at the very same time, That part he only told Spirit after a long night of just hanging out like they used to when they were partners, And they started hanging out all over aghen remembering why they were friends in the first place.

I didn't go to work for a month.

I didn't leave my bed for eight days straight.

I haven hung out with anyone,

and if I did id have nothing to say.

I didn't feel angry or depressed.

I didn't feel anything at all.

I didn't want to go to bed

but i didn't want to stay awake

that was a poem Crona wrote about stien when he was like this his absence from her day to day life was unnerving to her. however dispite his state he always rememberd to let her out of the basement cell. but she had nothing to do she found it hard to leave him alone so she could go out to see her friends. But today Spirit told her that he was going to "hang out for a little wile with ol Franky, don't worry we'll be cool hear." he said with that stupid grin that made her uncomfortable she didn't like dealing with it.

Stien was surrounded by pizza boxes. He was watching "Planet Earth" a documentary, rather he wasn't so much watching as he was staring above the TV at something that wasn't their. Spirit took a seat on the couch next to Stien "you guna marry that wall or what?" he said kicking his feet up on the coffee table Stien hated it when Spirit atomaticly made himself at home so soon, but he was silent which was only a challenge to Spirit who was determined to get a response. "how long you been siting hear? it looks like your ass fused to the couch.." stien had been on the couch so long the cusheans sides were hardly visible. "this pizza any good?" he flipped open the freshest looking box ware their were only 3 slices left "well if you ordered pizza then you must not bee completely messed up.." stien made a move with his mouth like he had imagend the taste of his favorite food "come on man cmon cmon! some greasy teenager made this pizza. your not guna let it go to waist are you?" Spirit felt that if he could just get one reaction out of Stien he'd have a foot whole to work with. Stien pushed up his glasses but continued to be disresponciv.

"I think it'd put crona at ease if you said something."

stien didn't say a word but he looked at spirit threw the corner

of his eye

"You know she worry's about you."

Stien looked back at the wall but struggled as he did

"Shes a mess, she needs someone like you to balance her out."

Stien made a little nod in agreement and Spirit became

more animated ad he saw it. "and shes the only thing keeping you

from slipping off the face of the planet.." he turned his wrist

pointing at the sealing" "yeah..." stien's voice was horse beaus his

throat was so dry, they sat silently for a long time. "finally a breakthrough

Spirit thought then he said."then is she worth loosing over some ghost woman?"

spirit leaned closer to stien to the point he saw himself in the reflection

of stiens glasses. "No." he said almost ashamed. "then tell me. tell me now.

who is the woman?" stien was reluctant and after a moment he awnserd in

a whisper "Medusa" spirits eyes grew in disbelief "what?" "Medusa!"

stien yelled in his frustration so eminence that it truly frightened spirit.

"Medusa! we killed her! and now shes back TO HAUNT ME!" Stien slid

off the couch and leaned on the coffee table. but just when Spirit thought it was

over "bang bang bang" Stien slammed his own head into the table "Shes driving me

CRAZY Spirit and now I see he all the time!" "Then you have to fight her Stien! Your giving up

with this pathetic silence!" " I tried spirit I tryd! but its not that simple." "And why not shes a witch shes your enemy and she wants to kill you so fight her!" "I CANT!" Stien yelled directly at Spirit

"I love her...And I think she actually loves me back." "Stien you poor bastard.." that's all spirit could manage to say, spirit hated Medusa and thought that stien felt the same way, for the way she treated her daughter Crona, Spirit felt she was unforgivable and was happy that she had been killed but now she was back he now saw it wasn't so simple."you don't actually believe her do you?" stien was silent, Spirit helped Stien from the floor and they sat on the couch just stareing into the wall Stien had been looking at the whole time. "she was their the whole time?" stien nodded "yeah." it was quite aghen...

"...I need a cigaret spirit."

"Yeah me to buddy."

They stood beside the laboratory, Stien tor the lid of a metallic trash can full of papers from his office. He flicked a match an lit his cigaret stuck in his mouth and then for Spirit, He then tossed the match in the can and the papers took alight illuminating them in the dim summer twilight. "Fire good...fire very good" Stien said in a slow primitive manner, As he looked up he thought he saw Medusa threw the fire, But he only herd her whisper. "I told you ware to find me. If you want to be with me come and find me. Don't disappoint me my mad genus" the fire calmed burning low and slow. "I'm sorry things turned out this way" Stien said in a more mellow tone, spirit shrugged "your a genus but your kinda stupid some times. but we all forgive you." the crackling of the fire was calming to Stiens nerves. "Shes a sexy woman thow. That Medusa." spirit added pondering the possibilitys. with a wicked smile stien sang out "i wonder how hot your flesh would burn in a drum fire..." spirit smiled.

Later they found themselves in the living room, the beer spirit had brought in the back of his car had somehow found its way to the coffee table and somehow ten and a half bottles had been emptied. "Why dose it smell so bad in hear?" Crona and maka walked threw the main hall, Maka rounded the corner and gasped but Crona was confused by the sight. The men had passed out long before maka and Crona had arrived. spirit was laying face down on a reclining chair that looked like it would tip over at any moment and stien lay splayed out on his couch his glasses were missing from his face and the worrying sag of his trance seemed to have long passed now a grin was plastered on his in his face and the TV played a long forgotten horror movie. "Well great they seemed to enjoy themselves" maka said in a huff observing her father with daggers in her eyes. Crona however seemed exited and giggled at Stien. "Hes better now i think.." she showed her toothy smile, " im glad your dad came. i think that was best..". "maaaaka?" spirit yawnd in a half asleep state Maka stared back at Crona and the excitement in her face that her father figure had returned to normal. "Yeah its me. You should go back to sleep.." "eeekay...daddy loves you Makaa" "hay dad..thanks for helping professor Stien..that was very nice of you" "yeah your old mans prity cool isn't he?" "Don't push your luck".

"Ya ya we ain't got an eternity! Lets all get in that whirlybird their, Find us an

island some place get fucked up an spend the days we got left soaken up some sunshine! hows that?" the TV murmerd softly showing the dully colord movies Stien loved, It was late, No one was

awake and suddenly just for a brief second the TV had flashed the image of a

snake eye, as if Medusa had been watching them all threw the television the whole

time. But that was unlikely..Wasn't it?


	3. good news for people who love bad news

The witches all stood in a row

alphabeticle order.

hundreds of them,

pity and fear was thick in the air

disaplin was in motion now

it was decimation.

One in ten,

one in evry ten witchs must die

the exicutioner, Medusa herself.

"You will decide who dies"

she spoak to the croud

"You each will decide wich of you dies.

No one can be blamed solely for the deth.

You will all be murderes of your own kind

and it is the fault of each of you. You have

taken for granted that the grand witch has let you

all live this far, your incompetence

has led us to faleure. now your punishment is

at hand. Choos carfully"

The pamplets were clutched in evry hand

evryone had a number

a little round buble

a pen

and a chioc

now none of them were inocent

not now.

Spirit snorted, He was drousy and had the femilear sting in his head, The sting of a hangover, The light stung his eyes but he couldent moov his boddy, He reluctently pulled himself towards the light. The reclining chare he had slept on the night befor had tiped over and had rolled on top of him some how. Stien was across the room laying across the coutch. His white hare made him look like a mop sticking out of a ragged lab coat.

Sprirt stumbled to Stiens kitchen. "i need something for this hangoverrrr, my head feels likeit guna explode..." Spirit serched the kitchen grabing a few ingredents. Thare was a drink he used to make in his youth to get over a hangover. One small glass, A bit of vodca, A raw egg and a dash of black peper, It looked just like he remimberd acept he substituted beer for the vodac. Pushing Stien who was in a deep sleep over to his side of the couch spirit took seat on the couch, he gingerly siped at the drink. Stien began to rous from sleep as Spirit finished his bevrage. "Pleas be in my own hous...pleas be on my own hous." He looked up and around the room, And then asked spirit "Do we have to be at work?" "Ts saterday"and they sat thare in the quite of the morning wile the sun crept threw the blinds. "Are the kids home?" Stien asked threw a particularly dry mouth and Spirit put his palm to h his own forhead "Thats right they went out shoping lask night.." Spirit put his glass on the table. "Ill go see if thay made it home" Stien herd the door bell as spirit left "hmm who could it be now?" spirit walked down the hallway to the basment door, It was unlocked and Spirit opend it and steped into a rather unsettlingly dark room.

Meanwile Stien was trying to make himself presentable as he made his way to the front door, He saw threw the peepwhol a wide femillar face and opend the door with a greeting smile. Sid was a tall mountan of a man, an assasen type miester with the strenght of a bull, Sids knose twitched as the smell of alchohall wafted from the hous. "Jeash Frakie did you sleep in a brewery last night?" Stien scratched his head. "Yeah spirit and i had a few beers..alchohall is good for the brain you see." "Ah well I came over to see for myself just how bad off you were, but it seems like youv made a recovery." he said with his big stoany jaw that could flaten an iron brick.

A yelp from the basment pearced the conversation and made a silnce between them. "Are you disecting someone aghen?" Sid asked with a twinge of worry "Oh no nothing like that." he asured his zombie friend. "Crona may have starteld Spirit. You know he scares easely." Sid looked unsure "uh-huh we I also came by to tell Crona to leav you a note, But now it seems your fine I can tell you directly."" Yes?" Spirit walked past Stien into the kitchen with a plae face like he had seen a ghost but Sid ignored him "Intelegence has entersepted a message from the palace of the grand witch. Thare forces have been decimated in disiplenary action." Stien was jolted firmly awake by this. "Theyv started killing thare own?" Sid noded "In demand by the grand witch. thats all we could dysypher from the message. Who carryd out the orders and how they were carryd out isent known at this time. Also thare has been substancaly less witch trafic in and out of the pallace, We think that they are asymbleing for some resan. The atempt to awaken the Kishen was considerd an attack by a terrorist cell carryd out by the witch Medusa. an astranged witch in thare ranks. but now thare comeing together like never befor, And that is why we beleav they have something planed." Stien noded "Thats a resanable asumption" Sid turned to face Deth City "Lord Weth wold like to see you. short notic but it is veary likely we will need to preepare for war with the witches." Stien began to slowly close the door "Yes of corse, Understood" and they parted ways.

Five minouts ago

Spirit tryed to see threw the darkness in the room only the black and white televisan snoreing softly guided his path. Thare was a coutch in the middble of the room but no one was on it but a bag of potato chips, Thigs like this scared him more particularly Crona scared him, He tried not to remimber the night him and stien found her in the ruins under the DWMA. Stien was compleatly coated in her mothers blood and the look of tearor in her eyes burned him, And that deman Ragnorok how fearsome he was, Buligerent and cursing at thim. Then stien did someting tearfying and spirit did evrything he could to forget the incedent, But he allways remimberd, espesaly the sound, The sound Ragnoroc made when Stien tore him from Cronas boddy with a single blood soaked hand. Spirit knows that it was the wavelinght of the kishan that made him do this. but that mad look in his eye the one evryone knew was onehundred percent stien. she was scared of stien for a long time after that,tearifide and she would eaven hide when he enterd the nurces offic at the DWMA. After an incedent when Stien had once aghen gone off the deep end due to a compleatly sepret incadent he began ranting like a lunatic and locked himself in the school enphermari. The staff thoght all the kids were out and just decided to let him cool down, but infact thare was one student, Crona was in her usel corner in a back room she had been staying in. At some point or another they crossed pathes and they came out of the enfermari together like nothing had happend. Spirit made his way to a door to the side, Being the stupid man he is spirit sometimes forgot to nock and so he just opend the door veary slowly without nois, That taist in his mouth he allways got when someting unnerved him filled his mouth, it was metalic, Spirit backed away from the door with a dumbfounded expresan on his face. He tryd to speake to himself but all that came out was a yelp he coverd his mouth and tryed not to fall backwards and then scrambled from the room back into the hall. After a moment Maka emerged from Cronas room wraped in on of Chona bed sheets her close were wrinkled "Papa?" she looked franticly for her frightend father.

"Whats all the fuss?" Stien said twerking with his coffie maker, Spirit had made himself a sniveling sorry pile of a man on the barstool table that was otherwise piled high with reserch materels,

"Maaakaaa." he bawled "Hmm? what about Maka?" stien asked in a compleatly melow tone. "And C- C-Corna..." he managed to bawl aghen. "Mmmm. Mh-mm yes Maka and Crona?" Stien said wacking the coffemaker with a pipespanner "Theyr ...eeeehhhagh". Stien cood in satisfaction as the coffie maker began to brew his coffie "Ah yes Maka and Crona in THAT way. Yes I have become aware of this. All of my hypothosis about the two of them were corect." Spirit was crying like a baby he was compleatly inconcolable. Stien saw Maka staring worryd into the kitchen Crona was in toe clasping Makas hand, Stien smiled and waved at the two, they exchnaged glances and went back to the basement room "I just cant beleav it I just thoght a father was suposed to know these kinds of things." he looked at Stien with his head down with pitifull eyes. "Nonsence, I only managed to come to a conclusan threw wiled speculation. But now that I know the truth it has become easyr for me to beleav. Its eaven veary likely that it would happen that way. Iv just been observing this whol time. They may have never known I knew thare secrit, Oh how lovely the scintific presute." "Why dose this entertain you?!" spirit tryed to sound togh but he failed catching anouther sob in his throat and he colapsed back into his pile, Stine poord two cups of coffie and set one in front of Spirit "Realy thats quite enoght from you now. Maka is your daghter right?" spirit looked up at stien "yes.." Stien siped his coffie "And you love your daghter more than anything. I know that about you Spitit" Stien took a seat and crossed his legs. Spirirt noded "then it shouldnet be so troblesome to you. However i understand your inisall shock" spirit sobed one more time rubbing his eyes "Maaakaaaa..." "And yes I did find it amuseing"

Meanwile in the outher room

"Oooooooh no. Oh no no-no-no-no-no" Crona said rocking back in forth on the coutch. "wev been found out! wev been compromised! this is not good nod good at all!" maka pased back and forth "get a hold of your self Crona pleas...Man that was so inbarissing" Maka herd Crona sniffeling her eyes were especaly black and round when she cride, Her tears were a diluded greay from her infection of black blood. "oh no Crona dont cry." Maka was fast to be at chronas side "he knows about us now. What if he wont let us be toghether anymor? Maka I realy realy realy cant deal with that" she said holding her head in her hands, maka leand on chrona "thats silly. my dad is dumb but I dont think hed do something like that.. Hes just to afraid of hurting me, and let me tell you he wouldent be able to handle that." she used one of her gloves to dry Cronas face, wile she did she felt a presance in the room. She looked behind her to see her father crona turned but hid her face in makas arm. "Papa.." Spirit stood looking at his feet with a depressed look on his face "Im sorry." He mutterd chrona and maka were taken aback by this. "First of all I owe an apaology, I enterd you room and invaded your privacy, that isent something a responcable abult dose" Waka was surprised her father took any responcability. "Papa..." closing his eyes he seeemd to serch threw his head for the proper words as he spoak "Also I know that you and Crona have specal fealings for eachouther" evryone was awcwerdly silent "And im fine with that" Maka and chrona took a breth of releaf, quick as the eye could see spirit was inches from Cronas face "Keep my daghter out of your bed or els you spooky devel.." he said with a wide troll like expresan and a low raspy voic, chrona made a hard swallow and noded. "papa!" maka shot with thrustration "okay you love birds have fun kay!" Spirit beemed as he made his way to the door. "You handled that rather well." Stien said waiting in the hall, "Yes well I must set a good example for our children, children are the futer yu know Franky thats just the cool kinda dad I am" "...whatever. lord deth is expecting us its best to be on our way"


	4. Bad Moon Riseing

" I can handle the classes and Stien being my teacher along with all my friends being their is great too. Ill be very comfortable.." Crona sipped a mug full of tea "The weapon partner is the issue. i don't have one now and no one in your class is compatible" Maka shook her head "Yeah I see your problem. No chance you'd take the legendary holy sword huh?" Crona groaned and shook her head "Eeergg no, I'm sorry I cant handle that guy.." Maka chuckled "Then why don't we check Death Book" "Death Book?" Crona asked, Maka pulled a laptop from her back pack and put it on the table, "Yeah Death Book is Death City's only social media sight. Its relay popular" "ooooh.." Crona looked over Maka's shoulder "See hears my profile and all of my friends are on this list. I can see what their up to" (Black*Star god among men status update: "YEAAAH IM GUNA DO SIT UP UNTILL I BARF!. So I'm probably guna be super ripped the next time you see me so get ready!" Subacki and 20 others LIKE this) (Spirit-Death Scythe sais: "your daddy loves you Maka! You make your father rely proud! :D" this post has one comment Soul: Creep.) (Lord Death likes the punk rock band "The Offspring" Death the Kid and five thousand others have liked this") (Patty has tagged you in 20 pictures). "That's neet but I don't see how this is going to help.." Crona said looking at Maka's massive list of friends "Its simple. Thar's a page just for people who are looking for partners we can find someone for you easy and we can even check them out before we meet" Maka said clicking the buttons "this guy looks tough. Ivan the Terrible "Hammer of judgment it sais" Crona shook her head looking at the stone jawed ushaka wearing teenager. "He looks rely intimidating to me... I don't think wed resonate well... also he likes the band "the tingling sensations" and I cant be bothered with something like that.." Maka scrolled down to another boy wearing a gas mask surrounded in a green fog "Keven Kinane the "burning mist" mist. a gas wand from the country of Iceland his status reads "Aint guna take no shit from no hippies." "Its gota be a chick. Shes gota be hot." Maka didn't even have to ask she just scrolled to the next profile. Lamanzo Amari from Libearia South Africa "The bolo of truth" "I am looking for a level headed mister, Intelligence is key" Crona smiled "He sounds promising" She studied the picture of the young man with thick rimed glasses and a shaved head, Looked to be around seventeen and was tall and fit looking, He appeard not to be expecting the picture to be taken. "I think he'd be a good partner" Crona said shyly "Okay Ill send him a message" (Maka Albarn: Hi! Me and a friend saw you were searching for a meister. She doesn't have an account but shes looking for a partner and you looked like you fit the specifications! Wed like to meet you and see if you two could sink!) "So now what?" "We wait for a reply."..."Whens he going to do that?" "I..don't know.."...

Meanwhile in the death room...

"Hey hi hello!" Lord Death Beemd threw his mirror "So nice of everyone to come out on a Saturday Morning. I know you should all be taking part in your care free life styles but I have a-" shinigami froze in the mirror Sid stood between Spirit, Stien and his partner Nygus holding a remote with his big porky blue thumb on the pause button "Its a pree-recorded message. He had pressing matters to attend to with his son at gallows manner" "Lucky he learned how to use a web cam." Stien smirked "He may be older than stone but hes pretty progressive" said Nygus. Sid pressed play letting Stien and Spirit see the message the rest of the way threw. "Very important message. If you'v seen the signs you know what is going to happen and it has become inevitable. War with the witches is now completely unavoidable, And now the status of cold war with the witches has been blown. As we speek the grand witch is amassing an army and spreading her propaganda and influence among the world of the mortals. We are at this point completely capable of keeping the hearts and the sword of the general public but some have been swayed to joining their ranks as henchmen of the witch forces, Matters of cloak and dagger as you know is a preferd tool of the witches and no doubt Death city has already been infiltrated", Their were unsettled glances between the group, "Fear not. Our mole hunter will be arriving soon. What we require of you four is simple. Classes will be extended from five hours to seven and advanced tecnequs will be a requirement of all one star meister's and weapons in the EAT class by the end of October 21st . NO EXEPTIONS" That thoght made Stien Cringe. "Other than that everything's guna be ooookay! bye everyone!" Death the kid had suddenly flipped the camera "Pleas Delete this video after review. thank you...Damn-it i blinked! Father we must do the video over!" the feed was suddenly cut off "Well if that's all she wrote I guise we'll have this war won by Christmas.." "Don't be so sure Nygus theirs allot that can go wrong." Sid grunted. "All this extra work is guna drive me nuts." "That's allot of fucken paper work.." Spirit huffed, Sid erased the video "I probably don't need to tell anyone. but keep your eyes out for suspicious behavior.." "We all know the mole hunter. Anything comes up we go to him." Spirit said with eyes narrowed with suspense.

"Rely this sort of place isn't suitable for lunch." "Hes so cute!" one of the skantely clad women at the booth beamed to the others whom he tryd to avoid eye contact with. "This is not the sort of behavior one such as me should indulge in." Stien said pushing up his glasses. "CmonFfranky live a little!" Spirit said with his arms around two women who did a fantastic job of acting completely comfortable around him "These lady's love yu!" "yes of cores. you pay in hundred dollar bills. Id love me to if I were being payed hundreds to swoon over me" Blare the cat witch sat between Stien and Spirit. In her time working at Chupicabras cabaret and bar she had become very popular. "Oh Spirit its always good to see you! Hows Maka doing" As soon as the word left her mouth all of the other women started to leave making excuses like it was time for a smoke break or that it was time for their shift change. Blare knew this this was how she got spirit all to her self "Maka..Shes fine..Fine I just...Its a long story" "Our daughters are dating.." Stien said flatly "Hmmm? she tilted her head at Stien "Yes. Their dating. Spirit seems to be having a nervous break down. "Oh that sounds very stressful!" "It rely isn't." Stien said flatly "i find it fascinating but he seems to be falling to pieces. Rely Spirit you must be made of tissue paper." blare gasped "Don't you make fun of poor Spirit! Hes just very sensitive!" She said with Spirit in a tight embrace "Sensitive. Yes hes as sensitive as single white tissue cell to a drop of sulfuric acid." "Sh- Shut up Frank" spirit managed between sobs. "Rely Spirit were going to be invaded and your still worried about your daughters sexual preferences. Get a hold of yourself" "profeser Stien don't be so cold! Hes obviously has worry for the only family he has left now leave him be." She jabbed Stien in the arm with a sharp pointed finger. "As I was saying why don't you tell me all about it okaaaay." she said swooning over spirit who sniffled aghen "okay.."

meanwhile in the lair of the grand witch

"What about your son?" The Grand Witch said hovering far above Medusa "Crona? She...Has declined an offer from an agent..And refuses to communicate" "Oh that's not good at all. you should have raised him better..." "Yes grand witch of cores. she will be taken care of." "see that he is dear." "a splinter cell has been disbatched to Death city and we currently have an agent within the city" "Good." the Grand Witch nodded pleased with the news "The new target is and Crona she is to be either captured or killed, He is monitoring them and the people close to them waiting for an opportunity to strike." "Good dear. And the wolf man?" "Free is standing by for orders grand witch" "eyeball stealing bastard.."the grand witch muttered under her breath "is their any further news?" Medusa shook her head "No grand witch" "Then you are dismissed" Medusa rose and turned her back to the Grand Witch and walked roboticly to the exit concealing her burning hatred for the Grand Witch in her eyes she was far beyond her time and was no longer suitable for her status as the Grand Witch, Medusa still had to bow her head to her it made her sick the woman was no better than her own daughter whom she saw as treacherous filth. "Oh dearie this Franken Stien boy has to go. You'll find a way to get rid of him wont you?" That had been the last straw, she wanted Stien she had acquired a twisted fascination and love for the man that had killed her once before. Erika knew about Medusa unhealthy obsession and was unnerved but dared not to speak up. Medusa never told the splinter cell to kill Stien she merely needed it to place a tracking device on him or in him. Medusa knew however that sooner or later the grand witch would need to be canceled..

Somewhere in Australia...

The Outback was peaceful. Their hadn't been a kishen egg sighing in these parts in quite some time. The sky had just turned to its pinks and blues of twilight and the stares were already bright and were free of light pollution Buttataki Joe sat admiring the sky out in front of the quick stop service station he spent most of his time at. It was his home away from home in the boonies. Every once in a wile he'd get to talk to a local traveler or a tourist that lost their way but none had come by today so it was almost time for him to go home. The station was the only place his cellphone had reception, it gave him two bars on the signal meter when he climbed into his truck his phone rang for the first time in weeks and it startled usualy people had the wrong number but he had four numbers programed into his phone and this was one of the "Spirit" glowed across the screen "Ello?" "Joe?" "Spirit oh buddy oh pall I ain't talked to yu in ages! Hows it been?" "I'm great Joe. How about yourself?" "Joe's eye wandered to the carton of beer in his back seat he'd probably drink all by himself later that night " I'm GREAT." "Your not lonely all the way out their are you?" "Naw naw Its all good hear got me a lady at the house now.." (that was a lie) " Awesome! maybe Mary wont get too jellos huh?" Joe made a hard swallow and leaned his head on the staring weal holding back a sob "Yeah oh yeah! Definitely definitely!" "Well good for you!..But uh hay man we kinda need your assistance hear in Death city.." "Rely?!..uh well..wacha need?" "well you know we got a spy...but if you don't want to leave your girlfriend alone-" "uhhhh well i was probably guna dump her tonight you know so how soon can i get on over their?" Joe said taking out his wallet looking for his Visa card "Joe are you feeling okay? You sound a bit off.." "Oh no everythings fine Ill be over as soon as I can!" "Were paying for a plane ticket for you so don't worry about the expense.." "Capital! ill enjoy the trip." "right..well we'll brief you...Joe? hello you their?" Joe had already hung up he phone in his excitement. He turned the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life, "Down in the Past" by Mando Diao blared from the radio already in the middle of the first chorus. He slammed the stick shift into reverse and stomped his beefy foot on the throttle the truck complying by screeching like a banshee the noise attracting the attention of the clerk in the gas stop. Joe punched the headlights the bright halogen bulbs punching a whole in the night and dragging the outback moter way kicking and screaming back into daylight, he mashed the clutch and brought it into first gear this second third, forth and finely top gear, he sped threw the night with a trail of blackened exhaust,

he was completely fulled with thought of no longer being secluded, he came to this piece of the Outback to hide and was to ashamed of himself to return to Death city but now he had the perfect excuse and he would be


	5. Extra chapter: Sympathy For The Devil

Note: lets take a brake from the main story and look at how Crona came to live with Stien. And also some other stuff..

"Get. A- WAAAAAY!" Stien rolled down the hallway of the DWMA on his office chair at brake neck speed "Your not real!" students ducked out of the way as he raced down the halls "Hes gone mental aghen evrybody take cover!"students ducked out of the way as he raced down the halls "Hes gone mental again everybody take cover!" someone called, Sid peresud Stien down the hall "Remain calm everyone. Get back to class!" Stien barreled threw a crowd of students like bowling pins. "What happen whys he freaking out this time?!" Nygis fallowed close behind Sid "I don't know hes totally delusional!" at the high speed Stiens office chair began to wobble and the wheels shot off in every direction and the metal scraping on the floor began to blow sparks causing an inevitable and violent crash Stien lay in a daze but he saw them running to him, But ware anyone else would see concerned friends rushing to his aid he only saw the woman of his nightmares, They all looked like Medusa they all sounded like her, It completely terrifyde him, he staggered away from Nygis and Sid and entered the first door he saw. "he went into the infirmary wing." Sid said becoming winded from the chase, Then they herd the distinct sound of the door locking and threw the frosted glass they saw him scooting a shelf in front of the door. " This has to stop, These Vietnam style outbursts are taking their toll!" Nygis put her ear to the door "Were in luck though. I didn't have any kids come into the office today. Everyone's out..Except the demon girl" Sid and Nygis looked at eachother "So its settled then, Well just let him cool down in there." they herd Stien yell from inside and a loud crash "We may want to set up a barricade just incase.."

The quite of the office strangled him, The sound of nothing and stillness filled his ear with a maddening rhythm only Stien could hear. He couldn't breath, he felt hot he was sweating so he threw off his lab coat but now he was freezing feeling icy trimmers down his back. He paced and looked around franticly as he wandered the halls aimlessly. He passed a room two or three times with a heavy black door, He felt that behind that door he would either be safe from his pressures or completely trapped by them but eventually he went in. It was dim and he couldn't see very well.

He leaned on the door and rubbed his eyes and after a wile knew now that he was just hallucinating he just needed to pull himself out of it, His legs were shaking as he walked across the room toward a bed, He fell onto it feeling a rush of anxiety and exhaustion he layd there on the verge of sleep. "Your scared.." he herd a small voice but he couldn't tell ware it came from but it definitely wasn't Medusa's so he was revealed "I guise I dident think you could be scared. I don't know what I thought..." Stien was quite taking in a soothing new voice that most importantly wasn't Medusa's, he saw ware it came from now a figure that was sat in a corner. "You look stressed...Would you like..To write a poem? Ill help you if you want.." Stien couldn't speak he just wanted to listen to the voice "No..Just keep talking" the small voice was quite for a wile "Who are you scared of?" Stien didn't answer "your scared of lady Medusa aren't you." Stien sat up and looked at the figure "iv seen that look on your face, I get it too.." He got up and moved himself to the desk to be closer to the figure and moved his hand to turn on the desk light "don't turn on the light. i can talk to you better when theirs not so much light like this.." " whats your name?" Stien asked just trying to keep himself from slipping into madness "My name is Crona. you met me.." Stien thought back to that night he pulled her from the ruins under the DWMA she was wrapped in his lab coat uncontos "You killed Ragnarok.." Stien had no answer for this but he felt guilty he tryd to look away "i'm not mad thogh, he hurt me allot, he touched me, he starved me he would take my food. but now hes gone.. isn't that pitiful?" Stien was confused by that "my life was so horrible that i treasured having someone as murderess and evil as Ragnarok with me...its awful. but that's why. that's why iv been afraid of you this whole time. before i made friends, real friends and before i knew what life was" Stien slid off of the chair and sat on the floor in front of Crona "so I guise that means I should say thank you... I don't know a thing about you and I barely know your name or what you do. But thank you." Stien felt very sober, He felt like it was time for him to go back out "Professor Stien?" he looked at Crona over the rims of his reflective glasses as she reached a dainty hand toward him "Can I be your friend?" Stien didn't know what to say, No one had asked him something like that in a very long time certainly not a young girl like Crona "Of cores.." he reached his hand out and touched his knuckles against hers "I have to go now.." Stien said looking around the barren room, Crona had looked back down to the pillow she had to her chest "You need to get out of hear thogh. And I'm not going to let you stay in a place like this..." Crona looked up and at Stien with confusion "Its not healthy. Your a young girl your not a prisoner you may have had to live like this with Medusa but you your free you deserve better" using his faculty key for the school he opened the heavy door and held it "This door is open for you so what do you say?"

"This is mission control do you have eyes of the target?" Spirit said in a low raspy tone into his walki-talki with a oversized cooking pot on his head "What? Spirit keep the line clear unless you have something important to say. Just keep you eye on the door for him" Nygis sounded frustrated form the other side, Spirit sighed he'd been siting for an hour waiting for Stien to come down from his episode. "Cmon Stien I cant go home until you get your pail ass out hear!" He had brought a chair into the hall and sat alone watching most of the students leave for the day. Maka, Soul and the rest had been absent for some mission and spirit was really starting to miss his daughter even thogh it had only rely been a day and a half. There was a loud scraping sound from the other side of the infirmary door and threw the frosted glass spirit saw a figure no wait it was two. "Whose that?" Spirit squinted to make out the slender black figure. The door opened letting out a squeak from the hinge. "Were coming out. Don't shoot." Stien said in a voice all to playful, Crona was behind him looking at Spirit "are we in trouble?" Spirit was confused as he had never herd the girl speak before and wondered why she would ask a question like that. "No no..Evrythings fine..It just..We needed to keep tabs on the professor is all.." Stien walked half way to ware Spirit sat and saw his busted up office chair to the side ware it had all four wheels attached "Some students came by and fixed it for you. they thought you wouldn't be the same without it." Spirit smiled, The children call Stien mad and their was allot of fear toward him but they cared about him they certainly thought he was a cooler teacher than Spirit, Stien pushed it and walked over to Spirit "Sorry about the episode. "Its alright Franky we know your deal. Whats up with the kid?" Spirit nodded to Crona "Don't worry she straightend me out. I figured if I have her around maybe shed keep me out of trouble. besides she cant be cooped up in that cell all her life." Stien patted Crona on the back and she made a week smile, it was funny to Stien how different she was seance they had left the dimly lit room or maybe it was the fact that someone new was around whatever it was Stien could understand it, It was hard to explain but the madness of professor Stien and Crona's disturbed mind were in sink their wavelengths were very different but still more than compatible. "wait Stien what do you mean have her around?" "well shes coming to live with me." Spirit looked at Stien then at Crona who seemed to be content with Stiens presence

"I just..." spirit tryd to think of any regulations that made what Stien was doing against code but he couldn't "Well..alright, We might get an ear full for this later but I say go ahead."

"Hey Death scythe how yu doin?" Lord Death bounced around in the mirror "Fine fine i'm sorry to bother you but Stien has done something out of the ordinary. I need your opinion on it" "Yes? Whats he done now?" "He took in the demon girl. Hes having her live in his house" Death tilted his head "rely? what a strange turn of events." Spirit was surprised at Deaths smooth reaction "This doesn't concern you?" Death thought it over "Well no nothing directly strikes me as troubling. However there is the matter of her black blood infection. Naturally Stien and Crona would resonate because of their personality's it would create a calming effect over the both of them. But if Stien were to some how contract the infection he may be driven over the edge" Death thought over his centurys of experience in matters like this "It should be fine so long as theirs no contraction of the black blood" "So we just let it all be?" "Yes but your his friend so keep an eye out. I have no resin to believe this was a bad desisan for him to make but precautions must be made, Make sure he knows that." "Yeah understood." the mirror darkened and the call ended

Meanwhile, somewhere in ruler California USA

"Serel killer Freddie Manson! Your days of hunting innocent souls are over! I'm going to take your soul!" Maka shouted in the blazing heat, The grizzled man sat on his knees more than fifty yards from Maka starring at a mangled corpse that lay on the desert floor his hands sorted threw the opened ribcage he payed Maka no mind. "Hay are you listening to me?!" Maka hated being ignored it made her want to go ballistic. "You smell like apples.." the man said in a low voice "man this guys a real creep." Soul said in his scythe form. the man dug a soul out from inside the corps "I didn't kill this man. Why would I?" he stuffed the soul in his mount and devoured it with a hard swallow "Why would i go threw the trouble when I have so many caring children to do it for me? For I am a god among men and a vessel of the new world order." "this guys brain is totally fryd Maka lets collect his soul and split." The man stood on his feet and pointed to the beet up pick up truck and made a dry humorless laugh "Ill race yu.." Maka redyed herself to run and before she realized it the man had already made it half way to his truck, because crack heads psychopaths are faster than you think, He made it to his truck and hoped in the passenger seat scrambling for the drivers side and by the time he was seated Maka had her hand on the door handle, Freddie had gassed it but the passenger side door of the rusted 1976 king-kab pickup truck ripped off its narled hinges in Maka's hand barely dragging her an inch but the truck sped right along threw the sun scorched desert "Hes getting away!" just as he said that a second trail of dust appeard in the horizon traveling fast. Death the Kid cranked the speed on his rocket propelled skateboard to the highest setting "Your not getting away!" he shouted blasting at the cab he passed in front of the truck making a sudden turn to fallow the truck up from the rear to try and grab the tailgate and from there he would have Manson cornered but something was wrong he just kept going "Kid what are you doing your going the wrong way!" Liz shouted "I- I CANT!" Kid shouted with a neurotic tone "What wrong now?!" "The truck! the truck only has three doors its driving me crazy!" Bam! He ran right into a half centurys old car left in the desert to rot and tumbled over the hood.

"I cant believe that creep got away." Soul said siting in the drivers seat of the door-less, corroded, rusted and decayed car Kid had road into which kid now lay on the hood of. "At least he wont be a problem long. The FBI and swat team are raiding his farm. If that's ware hes going theyl be waiting for him" Maka kicked a rusted metal can across the dessert floor "Man we rely needed a soul" "Theirs always next time thogh." Soul wiped off the dust on the mirror and fogged it over 52-52-564 he wrote into the mirror but their was now answer from Lord Death. "Well ether we don't get reception out hear or hes buisy. Patty sat making little men out of rusted metal cans and bullet casings "Maybe he forgot to pay the bill!" "highly unlikely my father is a very responsible man he runs a school and mayors a city after all." "I wish my papa payed bills on time" Maka sat depressed at ware the back of the car once was it had fallen to pieces long ago, soul looked over his shoulder to Maka "Man your too stressed." Liz nodded "yeah you rely need to find a way to lighten up.." she smiled thinking of all the shopping she could talk Maka into "You should have long enough to think of plenty of ways to do so." Kid took a cylinder object from his pocket and twisted one of the end and it buzzed and then was still "Iv activated the homing beacon ,we should be rescued within the next twenty four hours.." Their were shared groans among the group "Its hoooooooot!" Patty squalled kicking and squirming on the ground.

Stien opened the basement door. Keep in mind this was before he had installed the lock so their was no key it just slid open. As he looked around he remembered what a state he had left it in.

The entire room was filled with his strange experiments and things he had collected, He flipped the light, On the shelf their was a boller hat with a razor sharp blade sticking out from the brim covered in blood, Next to it was a small flat screen TV that's screen had been smashed in the middle from the inside out and it appeared to leak a thick black tar, Thar was a handle of a ball and chain mace that at the end of the chain was connected to a rubber duck, In the very back of the room standing on two legs was a taxidermy "Bearanchila" (a mix between a bear and a tarantella) and in a jar alone on the floor was a very tiny skeleton with butterfly wings it was about as tall as a pen and had long ago decayed. Stien could have looked threw his collection of oddity all day but he had to find a place to store all this stuff. After a few hours he had sorted it all and put it away in the attic excluding bearanchila which made a lovely coat rack .he had forgotten their was a couch and a small kitchen and even a somewhat bare bones bed room in the basement. "Make yourself at home." He pushed a jar full of living moving angry bees encased in stone aside with his foot, Crona made her way in unsure of her surroundings, taking small steps and made it to the outer side of the room, and slumped in the corner. "...rely? that's what your guna do huh?" Stien said becoming frustrated "its perfect" Crona smiled Stien was defused glad that his work and kindness wasn't unappreciated, He dusted off his hands. "This place needs a human touch so feel free to decorate anyway you like, Its your place now.." "I cant- I cant just live hear..I don't have money to pay rent or.." "Don't worry. Its not rely like that its just as much for my benefit you stay hear. As for what you can do however Iv needed a competent assistant. So dose that sound okay?" Crona nodded "I can do that I think.." She looked around her new dwelling, the dusty but comfortable looking couch the small kitchen and her new bedroom, It was a place for her ware she could hide away from the world if she ever felt the need, She was truly at home. She got up and took more natural steps to the couch and sat rather awkwardly on something that was actually comfortable "I love it..I rely do. you've done so much for me. Now Id like to know about you professer . I want to know about your life." she curled her knees to her chest "I'm not rely that interesting to young people trust me." "Ill try and keep up.." Stien flopped down on the far end of the stiff couch "Well any fame i have starred back in the nineteen eightys. You see in those days of disco soul and R&B I was known a Funken-Stien" "that's terrible.." Crona was actually felt like a strange feeling in her chest that made her try to laugh but she tryd not to because she had associated laughter with violence. "I know I had a flock of seagulls haircut and wore bell bottom jeans." "your lieng that cant be true..." Crona became more comfortable, she had never herd such nonsense that made her feel this way. That's how the rest of the night went they talked about Stiens childhood and how Crona wished to spend the rest of her own. Stien now had the chance to do someone right and possibly NOT dissect them and it seemed to Crona that a knew life for her had begun.

(From the computerized attic inventory catalog of professor Franken Stien)

A bullet whole ridden portrait of queen Victoria

A jar of "soul sand"

One katana marked "S Jack"

A case of "cursed" Kenny Loggens Cosset tapes

One transistor radio that only plays one song "Fly Robin Fly" by Silver Convention. (rely need to get rid of this thing.)

A chainsaw suspiciously red and filthy, Smells like rotting meat.

Some sort of portal launching device? (Found in a straw field in ruler Oklahoma...)

One large box full of metal plated headbands with black markings (Bought from a shady guy in a mask)

One bottle of glowing kola. "Nuke-a-Kola" ? (Slightly radioactive)

Taxidermy clown fish (Adolescent specimen)

A severed hand of a small primate just the palm...No fingers?


	6. 9mm and a three piece suit

Note (CONTAINS SPOILER): Spy Guy Noir was 100% inspired by the Spy from Team Fortress 2...the one charicter i cant play...

"Yes i'm him, lamanzo Amari" his Liberian accent was thick Maka found him very interesting in just the way he spoke, Crona was chewing oh her finger nails staring at his shoes. A day later Lamanzo had responded to their post on Death Book, He seemed especially eager to be partners with Crona. "You are an assistant of the great doctor Franken Stien correct?" He asked with excitement. Crona nodded her head "Y- Yes he is my..Well hes been my father figure rely." Crona always felt strange saying that. she didn't even like to acknowledge Medusa has her mother and she felt closer to a man she had no relation to. "That man is a genius. For as long as iv been in Death City I have study his writing and works. I long to be as great a man as he is.." "I'm sure..he'd be pleased to hear that." in Stien's living room they sat across from one another, The door nob turned and Stien entered the hall fallowed by a tall man. "Hello children. ah i see you have a friend over. Lamanzo's eyes grew large in sight of his hero in the flesh. "It is you!" He gasped in disbelief "Hmm? I'm sorry I don't fallow." Stien hadn't the slightest idea of why the young man was exited, he walked nervously to Stien and extended his hand "I am Lamanzo Amari. I am a very big fan of your work. Truly it is an honer" Stien shook the boys hand "Right its good to meet a fan of my work. Id love to discuss my writings but I'm afraid I must attend to some business with Crona first" "That would be absolutely fine doctor" the large man behind Stien eyed Amari and raised an eyebrow. "Crona this is Buttataki Joe. He is from eternal affairs. He'd like to ask you some questions. Just to clear up some confusion." He smiled "don't worry darling thisl just take a second. Stien's already filled me in on yer details. I don't think your a spook not for one second I don't. But ye never can to careful." the large man was was very tanned and obviously hailed from the land of Australia his massive feet fit in flip flops that looked like they could crush a full beer can. lamanzo quietly Stepped to the back of the room but Stien noticed "Going somewhere?" "Ah..Yes I just rememberd I must go to the market..For eggs. Yes I must have crepes for in the morning I-" "Oh? But you were so exited. Why don't you stay. You can have the eggs from my fridge. I insist" Stien,s eyes were hidden by a bright glare on his glasses but lamanzo felt them like daggers pushing streght threw him. "Yes..Of cores" lamanzo slid back into place. "Now the lass i jus got one question for ye." Crona nodded her head. The man put his beefy fist to her chest. "yu be a spy young lady?" Crona shook her head "No" the man was silent for a little wile "you see your black blood is making for a hard reading but Boy is a master of his craft. "Yeah...Yeah shes clean. That blood of yours can give me a right spooky fealin in me twigs I tell yu what little lady but yu clean much the same." "okay so that's a good thing right?" Maka asked with a raised eyebrow "Uh yeah evrything's peachy with er" Buttataki started around the couch and Stien blocked a the hall entrance. "But this lads got spy written all over is arss." Lamanzo looked around in disbelief "This is an outrage you have no proof that I am a spy!" "Alright then. Ill spy check yu. If yu clean i owe yu a mug a grog. If your a spy i'm guna have to kick your ass" lamanzo stared at his feet he balled his fist, He spoke lowly. His voice was completely different now his accent changed it was now a gravely french. "You will never take me alive!"

A loud bang filled the room and their was smoke all over their was allot of movement but Stien guarded the exit. Then he herd the words "If you move the young man will taste my blade!". lamanzo was no longer Lamanzo he stood a whole two feet taller wearing a three piece suit and a ski mask. To evryone's horror he held a switch blade to Crona's throat. "Guy Noir! you snaky bastard I thought I offed you in Moscow!" "Think again you ausy-bum!" his knife was inches from Crona's throat she was smart enough not to struggle against the man but the gears turned in her head as she searched for possibilitys of escape. "You!" He looked to Stien "You will move or the boy will die." Stien made no hesitation, He didn't want to risk HER life. "He is coming with me. He shall be returned to His rightful owner" "NO!" Guy saw stars as a heavy text book had made contact with his face. He had not watched Maka close enough to notice her slip to a near by book case and throw the hardest book she could grab with all her mite. He staggerd "Ah you bitch!" Crona slipped from his grasp and made a run for it "No you don't!" he planted his knife deep into her back as it made a satisfying piercing sound, As she feel to the ground a strand of black blood hung in air and as it solidifyd it made a spike long and thin it moved with lightning speed a pierced him right under his throat. buy that time the brute Buttataki pummeld the spy and he let out a fearsome Australian roar and began to completely obliterate him with his bare fists. Stien and Maka were at Crona's side. "professor don't touch the blood!" "now's not the time to worry about that." He put his hand directly over her wound and rolled her on her side "He likely pierced her lung the wound should heal any moment with her black blood, but no doubt their will be blood in her lungs. Maka kept Krona's head and neck straight and softly ran her fingers threw her hair. "evrythings is guna be fine I promos." crona's eyes were wide with the pain. she had never experienced a stab wound like that seance Ragnarok was removed. Maka knelt and kissed Crona's head. Buttataki huffed "m done...m done he ain't up" The pail thin Frenchmen had stopped breathing, Joe had beaten many of men to death with his own hands and now he had defeated one of his most dangerous enemy's Crona's wound began to close under Stien's hand "remarkable." He said lowly. she coughed up blood, Maka pulled off one of her cloth gloves and wiped it off of her mouth. Stien stared at his palm, he knew that their had already been enough time for it to sink into his skin and into his blood stream "Damn." he cursed his luck. He made a week smile a moment later "well. i guise i can now examine the effects first hand.." He felt drowsy "Maka can you get her to the couch?" "Yeah definitely" Maka scooped Crona up with a steadfast effort, Luckily Crona was no more than eightyfive pounds. "We need to file a report." Stien said resting himself against the back of the couch "we NEED to dump this frog for he starts to rot." Maka set Crona gently on the couch and sat next to her. " Will someone pleas explain to me what just happened?" Maka became enraged at the world around her as she watched Crona's chest slowly rise and fall with her breaths her eyes were no longer open. "Th witches sent em. He must have found Croner over there tu get close tu Franky. Blimey Franky yu coulda been killed! Cut yu up he woulda!" "And on top of that he could have kidnapped Crona. He could have brought her back to the hands of the witches." "Thin we gota find the skinny on this snake. Hes probably got an order manifesto or something." Stien dug out his cell phone and diled spirits phone number it rang for a few seconds "spirit its Ricardo. theirs a Saturday night special in the glove box. i need you to come to the loading dock NOW."

On the other line spirit had just left chupacobras without a single droller in his wallet. he froze walking down the street hearing Stien's words. the staff of the DWMA had agreed to talk in secret code encase a spy had ever infiltrated the city. "will the heroin shipment be on time?." Stien was quite for a wile and Spirit could only hear slow breaths " Marcos was a rat. we need to dump him. same place as the hooker" at this Spirit started running in the direction of Stien's lab "Clean up the mess Ill be their before your pimp gets back." "And get me a pack of cigarets." that last part wasn't code, Spirit ended the call and began to sprint dodging people on the street. He cut threw an ally and climbed a chain-link fence and back out of the ally on to the Third Avenue ware the Death Bucks coffee house was, He crossed the street and into another ally, their was a small four way intersection in this ally as he entered the center he saw his daughters partner Soul and at his feet was a large frog, "Weird.." he thought as he stooped and looked. Soul looked over his shoulder with a shameful look on his face, If spirit had the time he would ask what was up. "Carry on.." spirit said as he brushed past Soul and the frog. "just a bit further" spirit became winded.

Moments ago.

Soul walked down the street alone he sipped what was left of some of his lukewarm Death Bucks coffee and tossed it aside into a garbage can making the responsibility of not littering look as moody and cool as he possibly could. But rely he was in a bad mood, He had asked Maka if she wanted to hang out and get some coffee "Sure soul that'd be cool. But me and Crona-" he had stopped her their "Oh sorry if you'v got plans I don't want to intrude." "No its fine we just got a quick errand and we'll meet you their" He was starting to get sick of this Maka and Crona thing, and then they ditched him. He only wanted to hang out with one of them and even she didn't show up "Soul" Soul stopped he looked behind him for who called his name. "down.." he looked to the height for a small chilled. "Further...No over hear" just inside an ally was a frog "...I'm going crazy.." "No your not. Come hear I want to talk to you" Soul started to turn away. "Sorry i'm not in the mood to talk to animals." "No come back." it seemed desperate. "Look what do you want?" " The question is what do you want Soul? (ribit) it sure must be a drag not having your best friend around. Its not cool at all is it?" Soul looked at the frog with a raised eyebrow, Was he in a Pixar movie? Was this frog about to sing him a song about the meaning of friendship? But then he thought for a second "Your a witch.." he was ready to stomp the frogs guts out onto the concrete. "Hay don't look at me like that! If you kill me then Crona's just going steal Maka right from underneath you do you want that?" soul felt the word pierc his heart" He made a hard swallow. "Then come on and talk to me" She hoped into the ally. "This better be worth it." moments later they were deep inside the ally, Large amounts of rain water had collected here and it smelld like barf and cat piss. "You and I have something in common." The frog stated "Oh yeah?" "we both want Crona out of the picture" "I never said I wanted her gone." soul scoffed. "Shes poison Soul." She shot, Soul was still suspicious but he needed to hear the girl out "That's, right and right now shes poisoning your best friend." "Shut up.." "You don't think? she has black blood soul its a disease! All that physical contact? don't you think they share food? they kiss. I mean what if their even-" he turned his head with a bright red face "Dude! why would you?...say that?" "What she has is going to drive her crazy or worse! And your not even going to do anything about it?" "Just stop talking for a second and let me think!" "then you must not even care about poor Maka." as she finished they herd running foot steps and the frog girl went back to her act of a common tree frog, Spirit entered the enter section and Soul thought that he was ether rescued from temptation or caught red handed conversing with the enemy. But Spirit only looked their way for seconds and exited with an utterance that Soul barely herd and kept running "I..I have to go this is to much.. It isn't cool it isn't cool at all." He turned and started walking "Fine, If you don't care about Maka FINE. That demon girl is poisoning your partner and making her sick with the black blood. She'll be as neurotic as Crona herself." Soul stopped "Yeah. But when shes all crazy Its kinda cool" He walked away. "Damn that hipster.."


	7. Long Division

once upon a starry night, beneath the laughing moon

i saw an angle burning bright. a bringer of salvation and of doom.

with hair of blonde, pail ash and eyes of emerald green

her snow-white skin cloaked in midnight sash. her expression open

and serene, across an ocean of darkness the angle came through dessert sands

soaked in searing dispair. with a wave of her hand, madness shed tame.

in this place my soul sought her for repair. o my angle of death so

beautiful and fierce. like a brand my love dose burn. like a scythe through my heart,

your essence did pierce. for you, beloved angle, i yern.

Crona left that poem finely written on a slip of paper on the door of Makas apartment, however she wasn't the one who found it. soul was the first to find it he examined it but when he read a few lines and reckend it was meant for Maka and that it was best not to delve into something personal so he put it on her bed room door, when Maka had come home that day she found the poem. she didn't know what to think, it was very thoughtful but couldn't think of who it was by. she knew of only one friend who was a poet like herself but it was imposable, but as she thought more and more of the poem literally and symbolically the author became clearer and clearer, it was embarrassing at first she wanted the throw it away and forget about it. she did have feelings for Crona just not in that way perhaps she wanted to but when she try'd to imagine them it made her kind of duisy, but now she had been set in motion, she was for some resan compelled to find the strange friend of hers that had written this poem, she just needed to know if it was true, then shed know what to do, she barely spoke to any of her classmates as she made her way down the streets of death city. and then she reached the doorstep of professor Stien , his house was just as creepy at night as always but she was driven. Stien was kind that night and asked her why she was so pail he asked if everything was alright and Maka told him everything was fine but that she needed to see Crona. he was happy to lead Maka to Cronas living area, Crona had just moved in and the space was bleak. Stien kindly told her that she had a visseter. Crona was anxious after she saw that Maka had come to see her and she wanted to hide. but she welcomed her in and Stien gently closed the door. "why..why did you wright this?" Maka held it in her hands reading it threw in her head. Crona bit her lip "i- i-..its..how i feel" Maka looked at the paper in her hands "its how you feel about me?" Crona nodded "its real. i- i promos" Maka,s eyes watered but she try'd not to show it"promos me its not a joke" "i promos" Crona said rather clearly and surely. it was enough to assure her. " I certainly wasn't expecting it" Crona stared at the floor, Maka came closer to her "i think it was very sweet of you" Crona lifted her head to look maka in the eyes " and i think if you give me a little time i think we have a shot." Crona showed big confident smile, She put Crona in an embrace, it was awkward and Crona wasn't quite sure what to to with her hands or how long the hug should have lasted. But it would be the first many and with luck there would be more for a lifetime to come.

present time

now all these months later Crona lay with her head in Makas lap. She recited the poem in her head as she swept the hair from cronas eyes and watched her in stedy sleep. The pain from the stab wound had driven her into a light state shock her muscle tissue in her back and the wound in her lung had stabilized but the black blood still worked diligently to repair the damage done. "is that what it will do to me? will my infection do this" she asked Stien siting in the recycling chair starting to develop a migraine "not at this time. you'l have to be exposed for a bit longer. But it depends on what sort of contact you make with her. as long as you don't get her blood directly into your body it may not. if were talking about saliva however.." Maka looked at Stien with narrowed eyes "well i had to clarify..their are more diluted amounts of black blood cells in saliva if you two come into contact like that often.. possibly within six or seven months you may have a complete infection. its effect on you may very.." Maka became slightly worried and it showed on her face "but don't worry. you two have been together fro quite some time, about five monthes correct?" "yes..wait how do you know that?" Stien smiled and pushed up his glasses "you two often let your guard down around me. you forget your in somoneelses home. i do need to ware glasses but i'm not blind." Maka blushed. BANG the front door was kicked in "okay everyone on the GROUND!" spirit shouted showing his teeth and brandishing two scythe blades that protruded from his forearms. silence, everyone kept their seat "oh...am i late?" Stien was laid back into his chair he pointed a lazy finger at a blue soul hovering over the ground. "oh...you guys gona eat that?" spirit looked over to Maka on the couch with Crona's head in her lap "Maka! are you okay? did that man hurt you? is everything okay maka?! what happened?!" he asked on his knees in front of her, his eyes wondered down to Crona, she was roused from her sleep her eyes barly oppend "oh you! you little rascal what do you think your doing with my daughter ill- ILL-" "PAPA..pleas be quite that man stabbed her shes wounded" spirit instantly felt horrible "yes yes of cores forgive me.." Crona had blacked out again, spirit walked over to the floating soul and plucked it from the floor "wared this measly runt come from?" he eyed the soul which was small but full of murderous aggression yet not quite a kishen egg, spirit cast it aside "glad evryone's okay more or less, but i have to know what happened hear." buttataki Joe came from the kitchen with bandages all over his fists "ello their death scythe. seems you stumbled on a crime scene." "ah Joe. you wanna fill me in?" "hmm well.." buttataki Joe seemed to mull it over in his head as he walked toward the soul still hovering " seems yu little joey over their invited a soul eater for her young meister friend. i had just come ova hear to spy check the pink headed-en but she was clean. but that boy something was off about him. he wanted to get close to Franky, wanted to real bad, but when he herd my name he got all squirly and when i asked if he wouldn't mind i spy check him he lost it." spirit looked at the soul in Joe's hand "and that's what happened?" buttataki nodded and crushed the soul in his massive hand. "yeah, don't worry i knew the bastard. least we'll have a name for his tombstone." spirit looked over to Stien on the couch with the looked like he was about to vomit. "and what happened to Franken?" " i think hes gone and caught what ever Crona over theirs got, caught some of er sick ye know, he doesn't seem to be feeling rely hot." spirit looked at Stein and then at Krona "why haven't we isolated her yet?" spirit said in a whisper "oi that's dangerous thinken mate. we ain't gonna lock her up, its not her fault the way she is" "she gave it to my daughter!" he mimed with his lip so Maka couldn't hear "well she looks alright from ear.." Joe said lowly "im afraid shes going to get sick. what if i loos her?" Joe read spirits lips again and ushered him to the kitchen "yeah yeah i understand you really i do.. but shes stien's responsibility." "i know and I'm afraid he isn't taking it as he should." "look spirit Stine's a doctor. he has degrees he has an education. and believe it or not when it comes the people he even half way gives a damn fer, he finds some morals. and your his best friend so i don't think hes guna let your little girl do anything that could earn her a room at the loony ward." they stood their for a wile "papa?" Maka was at the doorway her voice startled spirit "yes Maka?" she seemed like she had something on her mind "If everything is okay hear, do you think we can go get a cup of coffee?"

"uh.." he looked at Joe "yeah go head mate theirs not much left to be said hear. ima keep an eye on Franky make sure hes alright, you two have a good evenen alright." Maka had left Crona to rest on the couch and gave a kiss goodbye, Stien didn't seem coherent at all and she was relieved that Joe would stay and look after him.

new texts pending...

Maka: i'm so sorry soul something came up..

soul: yeah i understand.

Maka: we were attacked. someone wanted to assassinate Stien.

soul: wow what? really?

Maka: Yeah. he hurt Crona.

soul: r u OK?

maka: i'm fine.

soul: what about her?

maka: shes okay..

soul: professor stien?

maka: i'm not sure.

soul: I knew something like this would happen.

maka: I know but were lucky. i'm sorry i have to go TTYL

soul: Yeah TTYL

maka had become closer with her father, ever sense his divorce with her mother finalized she realised it would be useless for her to remain angry at her father for the rest of her life, she hated what he did and nothing was ever going to make it okay. but even if he was a horrible husband he was a good father even her mother had to admit that. "hows mama doing?" spirit said taking his seat "shes good. she likes her house." "good, i'm glad for her, she deserves it" "dad can i talk to you about something else?" "sure whatever you want" maka had grown tired from the excitement in the last six days she was mentally exhausted "what do you think about Crona? for real you don't have to make something up to make me happy." spirit made that face at maka the one when he pretended he didn't hear her "come on really. i just need to know, maybe theirs something i can help with" spirit sipped his coffee "its not that i don't think shes any good for you if that's what you think. Shinagami himself recommended that her and Stien stay together a wile so their must be something there i can trust" "why did lord Death say that?" "ever seance the kishen incident his soul wavelength has been off balance. Crona's is very similar because of the black blood and her overall anxiety problems they have a natural balance that creates a calming effect over them. infact if what i hear about black blood is true it is best you stick around them.." "then why are you so upset?" "ooh maka look at the pretty bluebirds.." he pointed at the birds that hoped around Death Bucks court yard "this is going take a wile isn't it?"

Death City church of Lord Death

BZZZZZZ

BZZZZZZ

BZZZZZZ

Justin felt his phone vibrate in the pocket as he knelt at the alter.

quickly he excused himself from prayr and quickly shut himself in the confession

booth and plucking out his headphones. "pronto?" he anserd with his sharp Italian accent

"kid! it is great to hear from you." he noded listening carefully to kids words

it wasn't often that he had his head phones out so he took this opportunity to

re familiarize himself with kids voice. "an attack you say? within the city"

their was a rustling and the sound of a door opening and closing from the

other side of the confession booth "forgive my lord for i have sind.." "the lord is taking a

phone call right no my chilled" Justin said flatly to the now rather confused church-goer.

he tuned his attention back to kid on the other line. "yes..yes of corse...his will be done"

he placed the earbud in his left ear. "understood, goodby" he hurried from the confession booth

making his way to the exit. "my son ware are you going?" the minister of the church asked confused from the alter. "the time has come for me to take up the sword. i will return soon father."

the next day..Cronas first day in class..

"Buler" "hear" "ox ford?""hear sir." "Death T Kid." "present." "maka." "hear."

Stien tossed his clip board on his desk "that's enough of that i see your all hear..

today class i would like to welcome a new student to the class " he actually seemed pleased " if you would pleas stand so for the rest of the class" Crona shyly stood she was seated between maka Subaki. she was wearing new school cloths that maka and the other girls had picked out for her a white button up shirt and jeans "hello.." "pleas make her feel welcome class...if you don't i will have her help me dissect you personally." he smiled, Crona blushed feeling all the confused eyes on her as she sat quickly dissolving herself as small as she could "now on Friday we talked about the many anomelys that effect soul wavelengths and as you saw then their is allot of ground to cover in this subject. we will start today flipping open your texts books "anatomy of the soul" and read from chapter five forward" everyone had dug their books out and began. Subaki rose her hand "yes?" Stien acknowledged her "professor what chapter would you like us to read to?" Stien smiled "oh i'm sorry i wasn't clear. you need to finis half by the end of class today" he said with a mellow tone their was a stunned silence and confused glances switched between him and the large text books from all over the room. "you will have the chance to finish what you don't today for homework and early tomorrow. and tomorrow you will pick up ware you left off and same with the next day. Friday their will be a test on what you've learned. good luck" he sat at his desk and began paper work "oh and next week we will beguine advanced drills for all one star meisters the rest will beguine extra lessons." black*star wanted to scream he was in hell he must have died in his sleep he thought and now he was in hell. he sat for the better part of fifteen minutes just coming to terms with this madness. wile everyone else had accepted what was happening " okay okay i can do this. i am a GOD. this is just a discipline exorcise i can do that. ten pages in five minutes i can do that."

hours passed students had fallen asleep only to be taped on their shoulders by their fellow students. ox ford was sweating and developed a blister on his eyelids but he finished first fallowed by Havar it was 6pm and the extended school day was almost over only those two could have finished 300 pages they closed their books "finished already?" Stien spoke for the first time seance lunch break hours ago and the partners nodded "then you may be excused for the day. good work"

maka finished and so did a hand full of others, Crona surprisingly was a speed reader and finished some time after ox-ford but had trouble retaing some of the more advanced knowledge

the rest of the class was scattered throughout the book some hadn't even finished the eight chapter. "class is over you can all go home now, to read or to pray..." "kid i cant believe you didn't finish." Liz said collecting her things "it was the book. i started on an uneven numbered page and i just couldn't focus...i'm disgusting i'm worthless i'm garbage just garbage" he balled himself on the floor and sobbed "aww its okay kid we'll do a study group tonight." Liz squatted and wiped his face with the hankchif she specificly used for his break downs. Stien watched all the students leave one by one but he was waiting for someone. he told Crona it was best for her to stay at Makas house and she was happy to do so. it was midnight before he knew it, he had most likely blacked out and he didn't even remember who he was waiting for, "we shall quit this world of men declared the witches in 1661. our hearts are no longer yours to break." in walked a little girl far to Young to be attending the DWMA she wore a hood that Stien swore that he had seen before "that's what your doing stien" the voice was familiar but he couldn't place it, she removed the hood and he saw the snaky eyes "you.." "oh Stien your breaking my heart." "what are you doing hear? why do you look like this?" "its a discise. Don't I look simply adorable?" "Medusa..." she walked around the desk to Stien who was paralised in fear of the woman he thought he had killed, she climbed up on his desk "you look pail Franky. i smell it on you, oooh did my little girl make you sick? well you know children. literally filled with viruses." stien said nothing he just sat their staring at her, he didn't know if it was the black blood that kept him paralised or if he generally couldn't harm Medusa any longer "oh stien why don't you come back with me? I'm all alone surrounded by complete block heads at the castle. if its the little girl your wordy about you don't need to worry, you can still keep her, just as long as you remember to feed her and keep her off the furniture" Stien wrinkled his nose and looked at her in disgust "your so cute when you act mad at me" she pulled Stiens glasses off his face and fiddled with them "anyway that's my proposition, leave Death city and come to me and you can keep our brat. you have my word, i will not touch her, i wont have a thing to do with her...she always took after you anyway.." she set his glasses back on his face "you know its a great idea. certainly better than sicking around an intellectual wasteland" she hoped off the desk "it was true stien. i love you, really i do... but I'm just as prepared to kill you" she smiled and put the mood back up "bye bye franky." she walked out of the class and hummed a tune of her own as she walked down the dark hall, Stien didn't do anything for a long time, he got up and went home.

as stien walked home the light from the street lamps lit

his path and cast a double shadow, for a wile he ignored it

but the voices her herd could no longer be ignored, no one was

out this time of night no one saw what he saw, the shadows

had eyes like little white balls. "we souldent keep her waiting.

lets leave right now" "no" said the other shadow "we should say.

these people are our friends" "they are to full of petty morality and

they are doomed by their depressing lack of progress" he saw another person coming toward him.

blonde hair..was it Medusa? no someone different. "Franken?" Stien didn't make eye contact but the voice was familiar "Stien its me Marie!" Stien quickly looked up with surprise

but he couldn't speak. " Stien are you okay?..." Stien fell over unconscious and Marie gasped rushing to his aid.

when he woke up he was on his bed and the lights were off. the door had been cracked and a bright beam of light shined threw the room. he herd giggling from the living room as he stumbled to his feet and he peerd into the crack. he saw Marie his old girlfriend and Crona siting across from echouther and they appeared to be having a pleasant conversation. Crona was smiling and laughing with Marie as she talked, Stien poked his head threw the door looking to make sure their were no hallucinations of Medusa around like it would actually help. "Marie its so good to see you again." he shuffled out of his room "oh frank are you okay?" "yes i'm fine Marie if just been feeling a bit under the weather." Stiens talked in the way he only talked to Crona a warm voice that was completely different from the Stien everyone else knew. Crona wore one of Stiens old lab coats she had found in the basement closest. it was very worn out and served well as a house coat since Stien always kept his lab at a stearel sixtyeight degrease and despite her long arms they barely poked out from the sleevs. the girls had made tea and looked rather settled for two in the morning. "Stien i hadn't herd that you had a family now." Marie beemd "hmm? oh...oh Crona. yes Crona and I are close." he ruffled her hair, which she could never deal with it always ended up making her a little uncomfortable "oh? oh i was under the imp-...well never mind its nothing" "i see you two are getting along." "yes ill be teaching one of her classes from now on" "then maybe you should catch up with Joe when hes in town. I'm sure he'd like to see you after so long" Marie looked at the table "yeah..that'd be nice." "don't worry though, i don't think hes mad about what happened. no one should be. he just got a little emotional is all" Marie nodded and Crona looked between her and Stien wondering what they were talking about and how it involved the big burly man she had met the day befor . Stien sat down next to Crona and looked down at he collar observing bandage from her wound. "Stien their was one more resin i was sent hear" Stien looked her way. "lord Death has become concerned for your health." "what? i told him i was trying to quit smoking.." Marie made a small laugh "no Stien..your mental health" "hear we go. lets hear it then.." Stien smiled crossing his legs giving Marie the "i,m waiting." look. "Franken this is serious" Marie choked down a giggle. "oh" Stein tilted his head and it popped his neck, he sat up straight and straightened the collar on his shirt "oh yes it very serious! the docter geting a little to mad in the lab and hes scareing the villagers i see!" Marie smiled and shook her head, Stien had always been more playful and at ease wile he was alone with Marie this was the first time anyone other than spirit had seen him act this way and it made Crona a little confused. "I'm supposed to stay with you. to make sure their were no more major..incidents" she gave him a sad smile and they were all quite "oh...and Crona was doing such a nice job as me baby sitter" Stien gave a toothy grin, Marie was relieved that she hadn't offended one of her best friends. "well shes doing a nice job yes.. but your still having some delusions and we need to eradicate the variables if were preparing for the worst." Stien nodded with a more serious look on his face. "right well you can use the spare room in the lab if you don't care that its in MY LAB." Marie seemed to consider if it was really worth it. "oh..well okay that'l be fine. thank you Franken i know you already have one lady hear trying to run this place ill try and stay out of your way." "nonsense Marie i'm glad to have you hear"

(from the journal of Crona Gorgon)

i cant write allot right now because its very late and my arm is kind of stiff. i was attacked

yesterday by some man. he was out for me and the professor but Maka and a friend of the professor stopped him.

Maka..

she had a paper cut in class. did you know her blood is black too?

good night.


	8. Exrta chapter: Demon Days

(Pleas edit the squalid bits. thank you)

(Three star document of the DWMA library)

(Names and dates have been marked over on this document)

S_:Can you tell me the intentions of the terrorist cell and their connection

to the coalition of the grand witch?

C_: She was my mother. She wanted that kishin thing.. (subject is tense)

S_: Your mother. She was one of the terrorist that were killed?

C_:(nods)

S_: What were your orders that night?

C_: She told me and Ragnarok to stand guard (staring at the table)

S_: I'm sorry who was Ragnarok?

C_: M- my weapon. Hes dead.

S_: Oh yes (name withheld) had told us about him..

C_: Hes not hear is he?

S_: I'm not sure. I wouldn't worry about it. Now I have another question.

(names withheld) all believe that you had acted against your will. Is that true?

C_: (timidly) Yes that's right.

S_: What sort of leverage did they use one you?

C_: They just...Just made me.

S_: Can you tell me the motives behind the revival of the kishen?

What was their next step in the plan?

C_: I don't know. They never told be things like that.

S_: (closes his note pad) well I guise that's all we needed. Thank you

for your cooperation.

C_: (unresponsive)

(end)

A few days after the kishin incident...A little after midnight.

Stien stared at the oversized oil drum in the middle of his lab. It was big red and oxidized with splotches of rust all over it but on the inside was the last loos-end of the night that still haunted him. Spirit walked in and joined Stien in looking at the barrel, He held a metallic briefcase with

lord Deaths official seal on the cover. Stien looked at the briefcase dreading what he was about to do

"No its okay. Ill do it.". spirit started the proses of shutting away his emotions. He walked to a counter top and opened the brief case. "Get ready to open the barrel this'l only take a second.." he took out an iconic jet black Beretta M9 9mm. He stuck one bullet into the magazine and in a moment of hesitation he stuck in another round and inserted the magazine and fallowed up by screwing on a long suppressor to the barrel as not to attract the attention of Stiens weary neighbors, he flicked off the safety and chambered the first round and walked up to the oil drum. Stien took off a few cinderblocks he had over the lid to keep the contents within the drum he then slowly took off the lid. The stench of rotting flesh filled the room and the two cringed as the looked into the drum. Ragnarok had never been in his human form because he had never needed one the demon was a pathetic sight as he was nothing but rotting flesh and had bones of glass, His eyes were milky white because he had never needed to see outside of his strong demon form and now without Cronas soul to feast on for energy he was dieing slowly and suffering. Stien and Spirit hated the entity before them for what he had done to an innocent girl but they couldn't let his suffering go on any longer. Spirit pointed the pistol to Ragnarok and looked away as the dieing demon snarled and hissed curses at him, He applyd pressure to the trigger. It was over as soon as Spirit felt the recoil in his wrist, The spent casing hitting the floor, The shot was clean and it was fatal. "Theirs not eave a soul in that thing.." "Of course not..It would have made an interesting test subject. But I'm a better man than that" Stien closed the lid after giving Ragnarok one last look of pity. Spirit flicked on the safety and disassembled it so he could return it to Kid in the morning. After a wile they had brought the drum to Stien's back yard ware he had spent all day digging a whole. They didn't so much as lower the barrel as they did roll it over the edge and as it made a thud Stien and Spirit each took a shovel and filled in the whole.

"Someones guna have to help that girl." Stien and Spirit were siting the living room on the couch watching a black and white horror movie at two in the morning. It had been a wile seance either had spoke. Spirit nodded in agreement to Stien. "Even if have to do something" "You helped her plenty. Let someone else take it from hear." Stien watched one of the best parts of the movie and continued with the conversation. "Were better men than that." Spirit thought about that for a second and nodded in Agreement "I just need to figure out how."

the day of the kishen indecent

Stien and Spirit knew how much trouble Death City was in. They felt the earth shake and herd the eminence battle that was taking place on the surface. "We have to find the kids and get out of hear. Maybe we can help when we get to the surface" Stien said finishing a cigaret "Your not going to be any use in this condition." Stien had developed a few injuries and slumped himself against a wall. "My daughter should be ahead. if what we felt erlyer is true she dealt with the demon girl but we need to hurry incase shes hurt. Stien was covered in blood, Some was his but most was Medusa's whom he had moments for killed rather violently. He made bloody foot prints down the hall for quite always before it had all finely dried. Soon they approached a chamber that was lit with candles it looked empty accept for the ruble from a altercation and a huddled black mass in the floor. They were about to pass it by when. "And another thing! Do you know how stupid you look when you have the nerve to SMILE about something?! Its PATHETIC!" Stien and Spirit looked over with a blank look of curiosity. Their was a large figure with big thick arms and big white popping eyes that had sprouted from what they could now see as a chilled about Maka's age huddled over crying "Stien that's-" "You stupid cow! Medusa's going to have our asses because you wanted to go and make friends with the enemy! Do you think I like being locked in a dungeon ALONE with you?!" just hearing the thing lit a fire in spirits heart. "Hey asswhol!" Spirit yelled marching over rubble searching for the words to assault the beast with and Stien fallowed calculating his options "What the? Oh great! more of them perfect! Come on Crona lets slice these bitches." the chilled was motionless completely giving up on movement it just sat their "Come on Crona its time to fight!" he back handed the chilled in the side of the head and it merely cry'd out in pain. spirit was enraged to the point ware he could no longer think properly or use words. he started to move even closer to Ragnarok but he was stopped by Stien. "no." Stien put an arm in front of him and moved forward, he met face to face with the demon. "What do you want?!" it yelled, Stien looked at it and said nothing he observed Ragnarok and how he painfully sprouted from Crona's back "WELL?! Were waiting!" "What a rare specimen you are. Parasites are uselessly a little more meek, You however seem more dominant" Ragnarok just looked at him not even pretending to care what Stien had said and slapped him on the head making his glasses fall off his face "Shudup!" Ragnarok spat. Stien looked back up with a murders smile his eyes wide with complete scientific ecstasy " I'm going to rip you from this chilled and peal the skin off of your bones!" He grabbed Ragnarok at the forehead dinging his fingertips into Ragnarok's scull, He gently rested his foot on the arch of Cronas back and his hands began to glow. "Soul subterfuge!" with a swift yank he simultaneously connected to cronas soul and as if he held it in his hands, he sifted threw it until he found ware Ragnarok was attached to Cronas mind body and soul and ripped him away. Ragnarok gave one last scream that shook the room and split the night. Crona began to scream and thrash on the floor and Spirit came to her picking her up shielding her from danger thogh she struggled against him. Ragnarok instantly began to wither in stiens hands but to live just a little longer he transformed himself into the demon sword. Stien dropped it on the floor and Ragnarok was unresponsive. Crona was unconscious and by instinct Spirit clutched "her/him" (Neither were sure of Crona,s gender at this point...Spirit still isn't) in his arms protectively. Stien turned to to Spirit then looked at Crona with the mad look in his eye. "No. No Stien were done. You cant have this one." Stien let out a breth and fell on his ass "Yeah sorry. Just hard to get stopped when I start", Spirit gently set Crona down far away from the dieing Ragnarok, Siten didn't have the strength to continue so all they could do is wait. "Gentlemen!" Kid came speeding down the hall, Stein and Spirit looked his way. "The kishin has been resurrected!" Spirit was eager to hear what had happened. "Lord Death and Maka are fighting the kishen, we need to help them now!." Soon they saw Subaki and Black*star walking down the hall but Maka and Soul were not with them so what Kid said had to be true and started to worry for his daughter. Stien found the the strength to stand and wrapped his lab coat around Crona whose robes had been torn by the force of stiens technique leaving a gaping rip in the . He scooped her up and carried her "Spirit get that sword and be careful not to cut yourself with it." Stien was done he just wanted to go home. But the night was far from over and more than likely he too would be fighting the kishen later.

(some time in the present)

It was a warm evening and the sun began to set. In the distance the sun cast shadows over some destroyed houses that hadn't been rebuilt yet unlike the rest of the city. Maka and Crona sat in the worm sun enjoying the evening together, Maka,s hand rested over Cronas and layd her head on her shoulder. From a second story window Stien watched them silently. Most would smile at the display of young love but for Stien it broght up the violent memory's. He stared at the dead patch of grass the couple sat on. "Serves you right Ragnarok.."

A poem by Crona Gorgon:

The neon glow washes over your patchwork frame

hiding from sight your delving curios eyes that

pry at the rib-cage of the unknown with only a slate

of glass. My heart is filled with terror and aw as you

my guardian become one with the scalpel, You a maestro

to a symphony of carnage and bright scientific discovery.

The razor cuts deep sinking into the very truths

you had long ago foreseen in nary a flicker of genius.

When halogen and argon are dwarfed by the bright thoughts

that merely pass threw your head its hard to see how

this world of men is simply to dim for you and I fear

that I will be the only to fully embrace your magnificence.

Note: so every chapter is named after a gong I see best describes it.

It first I thought I would only use songs by modest mouse. But

you know it just didn't seem right when so many other groups

and songs inspired me wile writing it and it would be impossible

for me to have gotten the content I have produced without a MASSIV

play list. I hope you have enjoyd reading as much as I have enjoyed writhing

And over the next week I will be preparing all new chapters.

Pleas make sure to comment or share any advice or ideas you'd

like me the hear or see in the story and ill see what I can do.

Id love to get some feedback!


	9. Little Ghost

NOTE: Oh boy! Its hear! Been a week now finely I got number seven rolling and the next one should even be improved! Keep an eye out because soon I may release a one shot connected to positive negative!

"Oh dear its so late, why are you bothering me" Medusa stood in front of the grand witch with her arms behind her back and a twisted grin. "I'm sorry to batter you but I'm afraid I have an urgent message for you" the grand witches one good eye struggled to make out shapes in the dark room "Yes dear?" Medusa's head tilted as the word snaked from her mouth "In nature dominate animals often have the run of their pack doing as they pleas. until they grow old. then nature takes its cores and the week are culled and new stronger younger and fresher beasts take their place." "dear why are you bothering me with this" Medusa griped the Fabrian dagger in her hand behind her back so hard it left a patters in her palm. "I'm sorry grand witch. but your time has come."

Crona awoke feeling surprisingly refreshed, if this were a video game she would get a ten percent exp bonus...but it was not. a sun beam shined threw Makas bedroom window warming her to the new morning. she slowly untangled herself from Makas sheets carefull not to disturb her. Friday their was no school that day so wile she could have stayed in bed with Maka a bit longer it was about lunch time witch Crona thought was a little pathetic even if they had been pushing them selves rather hard staying up all night studying and periodically trying to "match soul wavelengths". " was going to start getting REALY angry if he find out were being so earesponsible" she thought to herself siting on the edge of the bed looking for something to do wile she waited for Maka to rouse from her sleep. she was not the kind of person who liked to get up and move as soon as she woke up so she always made the point to wake up before her always interject girlfriend. 'Shes going to be so mad that I let her sleep in...' she thought and realised how dry her mouth was and decided to start the day with some orange juice. lifting off the bed Crona made her way to the doreand slowly turned the nod careful not to wake Maka with to much noise, she slowly inch by inch opened it until she could slide her body threw the crack and slowly shut the door behind her. "Crona?" she herd a voice that scared her strait out of her skin. their stood at the end of the hall a certain hipster boy in his baggy sleep attire giving Crona a questioning look. "oh..i didn't relies you two were..uh.." "y- yeah" Crona let out a squeak trying to avoid eye contact with soul.."cool. guise you guys are getting luckier than me." he laughed and walked away "wait what- whats that supposed to mean?" soul didn't anwser he just flopped on the couch and turned on the small TV. Crona made her beverage and sat in the corner of the living room. "so whats up? fist time you slept over hear in a wile." Crona was still awkward around soul, largely because they were just two completely different people and share nothing but friendship with Maka in common. "professor Stien just has a friend over I didn't want to be in the way." "cool I guise" he dug up the remote to his X-box and turned on flipping threw the TV modes. He made a pause as to think and then he dug around the couch some more pulling out a controller. "hay wanna play?" from her corner Crona looked at the small plastic menace in Soul's hand. "sure I- I guise

Stien and Mary were in the lab. it was the fist time in many many years seance they she had last watched Stien at work. observing slides threw a microscope Stien engaged in conversations of this and that because he felt better than he had in quite some time. "so dose little Crona have any family?" Mary asked without the slightest idea of the depth of the topic Stien peard at her from the corner of her eye. "well..yes theirs her mother a witch" "ooh. well what about her father?" Stien made a hard pause. "iv never given it any serious thought." he said. "oh okay..well dose she know him?" "i don't think so. Not from what shes told me." Mary sipped her tea. "maybe you could find out. Do some DNA testing.." Stien began to twist the bolt in his head Mary became quite as the clicking noise echoed throughout the room. The loud clanking signified his return to focus. "yes...perhaps that's best"

"Ah morning time." Maka mutterd with with joy. 'On a Friday with my favorite girl in the world' she stretched under the warm blankets 'and right next to me, right ware I want her.' she rolled over to meet Crona with her assault of love "wait..." she felt the empty spot next to her ware Crona had layn the night before "the heck..ware." she lifted her head and looked around for the pink hared girl. Looked like Crona had snuck out of bed again. She looked over at the clock "one o'clock?!" she yelled. She rushed to her closest thinking about the half day she had wasted in bed, she opened the closest and found a pair of casual cloths to cure her partial nudity for unlike Crona she had never felt comfortable sleeping in her cloths. She picked out something that was well rounded to fit the day which happened to be Metallica band T-shirt her mother had given her and a pear of stove pipe jeans. Maka ventured into the hall well expecting for Crona to be alone doing her own thing. To her amazement she was on the couch with soul playing violent video games, (a favorite pastime for mister Evans) "their he is." "who?" "the sniper hes in the grass" "snipers are so annoying, I cant deal with them" they were so absorbed they didn't see Maka for quite some time. "I see you two are having a little bonding time." "yeah I guise, I just needed a medic." soul said trying to pretend he hadn't found his new favorite video game partner.

Meanwhile back at the lab...

Stien entered Crona's living room, he silently looked over the warm space moving to the couch careful not to bang his shin on the coffee table as he had done many times before. He put his face inches from the surface of the couch looking carefully into its woven fabrics, he plucked a single strand of bright pink hair and narrowed his eyes inspecting it. "that's good enough." . Hours passed as Stien labored intensively. Mary watched in amazement as he toiled away relentlessly straing his brain for so long. Granted she didn't watch the whole time as she sometimes went off to watch some reality show or do some task about he new home. But Stien kept working ever closer to his gole. Finely around 5 in the afternoon he had finished and the results of his labor stared him in the face and yet he could not believe his eyes. Though he triple checked his work and eliminated all variables he still could not bring himself to accept the impossibility of the answer. POSITIVE MATCH... the screen flashed. "How?" he slumped over, a twisted smile peeked on his lips. He chuckled the chuckle grew into a cackle which led to a rolling bat shit insane laughter. Mary came into the lab drawn by Stien's laughter "Franken whats going on? Whats happened?" she placed her hand on his shoulders ass the shuffled with his laughter. She looked at the screen "oh. god Franken did you know this?" Stien didn't answer. It wasn't even that Stien found the results of the DNA testing particularly funny, but in situations like this when he was so utterly wrong, ware his answer to the question he hadn't even asked himself was right under his nose the whole time. He was god smacked and he could not contain himself. He did not hate his findings, they had wonderful and horrifying implications. "i see" he try'd to stifle his laughter. "my own little monster."

Sid crept silently threw the blackened corridor without a sound. His mission was close to completion and with the last objective. The lower part of the castle of the grand witch held the most vital parts Without which they would be crippled, he had placed one of the four bombs. One outside of the mane armament storage on the eastern wall, no he moved to the north eastern sector ware the electrical mane was he opened the door marked 'staff only' and high voltage sign underneath. The main breaker panel opened and he dislocated the steel stamping cover, taking a wad of explosive clay he neatly tucked it under the breaker bar ware no one would notice and ware the hot wire and the line wire wouldn't ark with the detonator causing a premature detonation, he then placed the cover neatly back into position. (in English he placed the bomb ware its guna fuck shit up) "almost done.." he turned to the door and slowly the nod "NOW! Get him!" as Sid flew back in air he vagely felt his body shutter being rapidly struck, he herd crackling thunder of a fearsome barrage, Submachienguns clattering a symphony of flying lead and falling shell cases. It ended as he his the massive electrical panel behind him. As he slowly opened his eyes he saw a small squad of armed witches none more than age twenty. "stay back hes still got the detonator!" one of them shouted from the back. He saw the red lazer sights circling him. He held up he hands in surrender, and the witches swarmed in, Medusa stood in the doorway "a master assassin defeated so easily, pathetic" she frowned. Sid showed a grin threw his stone jaw as he let slip the detonator sandwiched between his fingers. Medusa watching slowmotion as the harmonic detonator fell to the ground. She dove into the hallway laying flat on her chest. The detonator hit the floor right on the trigger. Soon their was only intense heat, a bright white flash and then, nothing.


	10. Gimme Stitches

"Mary you don't think I'm a bad person do you?" "I don't think so. But when has it ever mater'd to you?" "I'm a father. I guise I have to worry about that kind of thing now." Mary tried to bisy herself by making Stien some miso soup. "but you never slept with Medusa right?" she asked looking out of the corner of her good eye, He shook his head. "How are you going to tell her?" "I don't know if I can." "Franken she cant just NOT know." "I want you to consider how hard this is. Do actually think Crona is going to be fine about all of this? Have you any idea how betrayed shes going feel?" she pored the soup into a small glass and set it in front of him. "I think shell just be confused." she sat across from him "were all a little confused right now" Spirit came through the kitchen doorway with a nonchalant look on his face unaware of the tension in the room and began rooting around in Stien's fridge. He grabbed a generic brand of soda that only himself and the professor drink "Orange MAX, oranges are vitamins" it said on the front of the can. Spirit sat between them at the table, they both stared at him with a scowl "What?" neither of them spoke "WHAT?" he repeated . Mary sighed "theirs just some tension right now. You came in at sort of a bad time." "What I miss?" he took a long swill of the soda so he could do one of those C-lassic comedic spit takes when Stien finished talking "Crona actually is my biological daughter and yes Medusa is her mother." Stien put the state of things so delicately, spirit didn't so much engage the spit take like he had planned and it more or less all sort of spilled out of the side of his mouth after he forgot momentary how to drink liquids and choked on the large proton that failed to go down his throat. He cleared his throat and composed himself. "Just how the hell did you manage that?" "That's what id like to know" spirit rubbed his temples trying to just make sense of it. "Mary may I talk to the professor privately for a moment?" "Yes. Of cores." she smiled got up and she patted Stien on the shoulder as she exited the room. "Okay Frank lets think back. How old is Crona?" "Shes going to be seventeen next month." spirit took a drink. "okay so that narrows down the year she was conceived. 1995" "Correct." "Did you have a girlfriend?" "Yeah but it wasn't...her." "Frank is their something your not telling me?" "No. I just." Spirit leaned closer "Franky come on, I'm not judging you" "Thinking back now she just.." "Yeah?" "You remember Euryale right? You met her all those times..after that new years party I think...maybe her and I.." spirit took yet another drink "T's all comein together." he made a dry laugh. Had yellow eyes and a snake tattoo up he arm. Sure as hell that was her." "She just ran off. I was devastated. I rely loved her." they sat there in silence. "What the hell do I do?" Stien asked looking at the table. "What can you do?" Stien mulled over all the options in his head "You need a drink?" Stien shook his head in reply. "Need a smoke?" he shook his head again "Should we set something on fire?" Stien looked up and spirit and began to twist the bolt in his head.

"Well hear we are again." Stien had already filled the paper waste bin for the month, Spirit dug the butane lighter out of his pocket and handed it to Stien "Its always such a pleasure." Stien said in a mellowtone voice. The flame of the lighter licked the pages and the contents of the can took alight.

Stien felt his phone ring just as his mind started to settle. The caller Id said "Nygus" and showed the special ID picture up her boxing with Sid. Stien uttered his four letter prayer and answerd the phone

"Hello?"

"Slow down your n-"

"Yes ill be right there."

"Don't worry. Evreything is going to be fine."

(meanwhile at death bucks)

Crona had not many flaws, certenly many quarks and short comings but none so that were a serious issue.

One however was that she could not control herself around sweets. She was the age of sixteen when she tryed something that was remotely surgery, She was sick for a week after that, after she swore she would never eat anything of the sort ever again Maka finely pushed her far enough to give it another try and after that you could not fucking stop her, which is pretty much ware she still is today. So imagen her in the middle of a not so busy Death Bucks coffee house with he nose pressed against the glass, marveling at all the sweets like shes an Amish girl on Ramp springer (a vacation from being Amish) witnessing the wonders of the twenty first century. "Come on man make up your mined." soul stared at her with a disapproving glare, Maka sat back watching taking in the sight of her favorite people finely acknowledging each other. After Crona had bought herself a few chocolate turnovers "dude are you guna share one of tho-." soul stopped as he and Maka looked to the sky, the chotting noise of a helicopter boomed, it flew over low and fast, low enough that the downward trust of the blades blew napkins off all the outdoor tables. It was orange and purple and designed for speed and transport not a military or new helicopter. "Its Life-Flite." said soul with a twinge of curiosity, Crona looked between him and Maka "whats Life-Flite?" "emergency medical transport helicopter" "in other words someones having a relay bad day." Soul sipped his coffee. Crona's phone rang in one of her many hidden pockets, she had chocolate all over her fingers so she almost missed the call by the time she could wipe it all off, the caller ID said it was Stien so it was probably important. "konnichiwa." " to the ER. paging to the ER please " the voice wasn't the professors but that of Spirit."Oh I didn't expect you." "Dad?" Maka tilted her head across the table "Crona, Franky needs to see you at the hospital, he needs your assistance"

"Yes understood." "Goodbye and hurry." "Gahneh." she looked sadly at her chocolate turnovers. "I'm sorry guys, I'm going to have to get these to go."

Brook haven hospital of Death City...

" were sorry to call you in on this one but its an unusual case. And as we understand it its sort of your specialty." the nurse try'd to hold back her excitement and fear of meting the legendary Franken Stien. Stien began the starelisation proses making sure to disinfected his hands all the way to the elbow. "ms I don't think you understand. Its not just my specialty. I made this man what he is. So of cores I know him inside and out. But your probably referring to his spieceas." he took a long wistful breath "aaahh.. Necro-sapien the 'living dead man' my greatest achievement to date." wow this guy IS as creepy as everyone sais, the nurse thought to herself. "you don't say.. I uhm have to go clean some bed pans in the burn ward right now...so see yu." spirit watched her leave as fast as possible from behind the two way observation glass that windowed to the operating room. "Is it just me or do you like doing that?" "I'm not going to lie to you spirit I take great relish in it." Crona pushed threw the double doors wareing one of Stiens old lab coats, she was careful not to touch the door with her bare hands "professor." she greeted him. Stien's blood became cold in sight of his daughter "good morning Crona...come to help your old man huh?" "uh..yes spirit gave me the call. Of cores I'm happy to help, i had just gotten the itch to tear something apart." she gave a toothy smile."you understand.." Stien walked up to the two way glass to meet Spirit face to face "just like me. She enjoys getting elbow deep into eviscerated bodys." Maka entered the observation room. "hay guys. Whats happened?" Stien took a brief moment to sugar coat the news for Maka the best he could. " Sid went and accidentally had himself shot up, blown into chunks and rolled off a cliff and buried in an avalanche of burning wreckage and concrete." Maka gasped "Frank you ass." spirit started at Stien with intentions on giving him a piece of his mind. The operating room doors burst open and Justin law stood in the door way holding a bloody garbage bag and waring a displeased look on his face that was only half hidden by a pare of telescopic night-visan goggles that made him look like the Splinter Cell or a "Vatican assassin" if you will. "doctor are you ready to operate?" Stien pulled on a thick pare of rubber gloves "yes, now wares Sid?" Justin set the body bag grade trash bag on the operating table with enough force it made the try of operating tools bounce and clink around "Right hear."

"Well Sid this time you have over fifty small caliber gunshot wounds mostly 9mm, A shattered elbow, two missing teeth, broken left left in three places, broken right leg in five basicly the whole thing. You have large amount of shrapnel damage all around your body and in some places you have third degree burns, a severed spine and a shattered left testicle, oh and if you haven't noticed your heads come off along with your limbs. How are you feeling today? Can you describe your pain on a scale of one to ten?" Stien gave a twisted grin. "I feel like shit frank. Thanks for asking." Sid (or rather Sid's disinbody'd head) lay sideways on the operating table watching Stien pick chunks of lead from his mangled abdomen with a pare of tweezers. "I don't see how he's alive. It is an abomination.." "why thank you Justin. I live to pleas." he turned to Crona "deer crona do you have the rest of his parts sorted yet?" she hummed the choirs of November has come by Gorillaz "Oh yes almost, his smaller parts are giving me trouble is all." she turned to Maka who watched behind the two way glass and held up one of Sid's fingers. "Maka dose this look like a ring finger or an index finger?" "Crona that's so gross." she try'd not to laugh. Nygus had joined them in the observation room "Man I'm glad he's okay. Don't know if I could loos him a second time." "I wouldn't just leave you without saying goodby. That's not the kind of man I was." "your a very sweet man." Stien wiped his forehead accidentally smearing a bit of blood on him. "Hay no bearing your souls in the operating room...You can cause an infection like that." "whatever Frank." Nygus scoffed "You know professors they say that blood makes the grass grow.." Crona handed Stien Sid's upper left arm. "yes indeed Crona. Blood is good for the Earth" Nygus became a little uncomfortable "Uh did anyone ells hear that wakidoo shit they just said?" "yeah that happens." Maka said scratching the back of her head and spirit nodded in agreement. "He lost a lot of blood, maybe the earth will be happy.." Crona's eyes shrank as she sat sewing toes back onto Sid's foot. "You know sometimes I forget these two are totally nuts." Nygus shook her her. "Yeah and their reassembling your boyfriend for free so mind your manners will ya." "Right sorry.." Stien held Sid's heart in his blood soaked gloved hands "Dissemble me nor more! I admit the deed! Tear up the planks! Here here! It is the beating of his hideous heart!" He jammed the heart into Sid's ribcage. "..." the four behind the glass were silent "Leeeets all just go to lunch.." spirit said backing away to the door and the rest fallowed him. "no wait!" Sid called out to them "Don't leave me alone with these psychos!" "hush now Sid or ill sew your head on backwards." Crona sang in a low terrifying manner.

(the castle of the NEW grand witch)

Medusa was never one to be particularly pleased about anything but to day she was royally pissed.

She had survived the bombing but had been injured by falling rubble, she now wore a cast over her arm and had many scrapes bums and bruises. She didn't not morn the death of the for witches that had died in the blast nor did she feel sympathy for the one in critical condition, she felt as though they hadn't done their job well enough and if they had detected the DWMA's agent sooner none of them would have been hurt or killed in the first place and they knew the risks of their job anyway. But at least now she was the grand witch, she had so much power, her own army, a servant to do all her biding. But what wold she do with that power? "stop, now move it to the left" Medusa sat in an oversized leather chair, she had started tiresome the task of having the grand witches study redecorated. Erika balanced her self at the very top of a rickety wooden latter moving a heavy golden statue around on a shelf and struggled to find the place for it that pleased Medusa "Move it further to the left" "but Medusa sama I cant." "can and will. Your not coming off that ladder until its in the right spot." Erika summoned all her balance as she gently pushed the statue as far as she could "their...got it." "no I don't like it there" Medusa made a long sight "just move it back to ware it was." sometimes Medusa just made Erika want to cry though secretly she in a way liked the abuse. However seance Medusa had been cut off from being able to haunt Stien she seemed to be more vulnerable, a little more humanized and humbled. "is something wrong Medusa?" Erika was often smacked down for taking interest in Medusa's business but other times she was rewarded with a pleasant conversation with her of even a rare compliment. "its nothing." Medusa said turning her head away. Erika knew she would probably regret it but she gave it the 'nothing ventured nothing gained' approach."is it about that white headed man?" "his name is Stien." "right well so why isn't he head over heals for you yet?" Erika began sweeping the hardwood floors "He is. Do not underestimate me in matters of the heart or you will pay the price." Erika knew she had stuck a cord as Medusa's reptilian pupils narrowed. "well then why isn't he hear?" "beaus hes just confused." "about what? That hes in love with a witch that's trying to kill everyone he cares about?" Erika wished that she had never said a thing Medusa just glared at her from behind her desk and their was no telling what she was about to do "yes quite so." Medusa looked sadly down at her desk " I cant help that I'm just so much smarter than everyone else or that my brain just happens to be evil. I don't know why he cant understand that. I know he doesn't like the things I do, but its not my fault that I think annihilating the useless people in all of the world is right , its what I was taught. What I was raised to believe." that was possibly the saddest evil thing Erika had ever herd. " I just need to figure out what to do, ether with him or myself. Their needs to be a change" "what do you suppose then?" Erika asked. Medusa was silent "don't you have sweeping to do?" "yes lady Medusa" Erika decided to quit wile she was ahead and perhaps later she would try even further.


	11. You Drop the Bomb On Me

Don't mind my foul language today.

From the journal of Franken Stien

This evening as I arrived home from grading students for the day I turned into the lab to unwind for the evening, Crona was already there, I spy'd the glint off of her shining pink hair in the dark work space. She had her magniscope over her eye and in some intense focus as she diligently worked, she didn't seem to notice as I came in at first but then gradually she became aware "good evening professor." she said in her work voice. I didn't look to see what she was working so hard on as I uselessly let her get up to any shenanigans she wants in the lad as long as their scientific. After a wile I worked my around the lab after checking the progress of some projects, what she was doing sort of caught me off guard I must admit. She had a snake in a blood pan, a nothing special sort of snake probably a Black Racer,

"what are you up to this evening?" I asked not bothering to hide my curiosity. She had a car battery charger made into a makeshift defibrillator hooked up on the work bench and the snaked hart had been removed and it was off to the side. "Your just in time professor,you can observe my results." she finished stiching "I started wondering something today, it was on my mined all day." "And what is that?" "professor do you think a Snake can live without a hart? Do you think that it would keep it from feeling hartake? Do you think it could feel the same pain I feel I mine?" she smiled and I assumed that she was feeling as well as she uselessly dose but I didn't rely know what do say to her. "that's..completely mad Crona." that's all I could find to say "I realize. Its bonkers isn't it. But I have to know" I nodded "then go ahead. She took the power cabels in her gloved hands and placed the positive clamp just bellow the snakes head and the negative at the tail end like she totally expected it to work that way, she then flipped the switch sending power to the clamps. The clamps arced off the metal tray sending sparks every ware and even when I steeped back she was still siting there watching it with intent. After a solid minute of this she turned off the charger.

It shouldn't have worked and I'm still wondering if she did something to the snake before I arrived. I once brought a dead man to life but at least he had a heart in his body. What has this girl done? What has possessed her to be so horrifyingly brilliant? As I was prepared to tell her that perhaps it would not work the snake began to twitch with life though it would not live the night out in its state. "its alive?" I asked like a bumbling idiot "of cores professor. I had theorized that the hart is a Useless organ in the snake" she eyed the slithering pile of blood and scales, he eyes were shrunken and black "as it turns out. I was right" I took a step back when I saw the toothy grin on her face. She took a large knife from the bench and with one swift movement she sliced of the snakes head. After we stood in place after a wile she dropped the knife.

"I'm sorry professor." was the next thing she said. "It's okay. I think maybe today we should take a break from since." I try'd to sound...fatherly? Or what I imagined a father sounds like, I kinda imitated the way Spirit talks to Maka. She looked at me for a second "are you sure?" "yeah. Actually how about I take you to get some coffee?"

I don't want to understate how proud I am of her stroke of mad genius but perhaps it is time that she spend some time away from the lab. Perhaps exorcise her body because her mind seems to be sharp enough. She said that she is unsure of having a new partner and perhaps she is right, but I have a plan.

(Castle of the NEW grand witch)

"your Centurion standing by for your orders, give the order and the attack will commence. They wont see it coming." Erica was happy to announce to Medusa whom sat in her chair. She picked up the decorated vintage abnorals phone, listening for the Centurion to answer the phone, she seemed to ponder as she looked at the framed picture of her beloved Franken Stien. " Grand witch Medusa, what are your orders?" " Withdraw." she said with a heavy voice, on the other line the Centurion said something she couldn't hear something along the lines of "what the hell?" he got back on the line "yes grand witch we shall return to base imedently." Medusa hung up the phone, Erica stood by watching wide eyed like she had seen a ghost. "Lady Medusa. Is everything alright?" Medusa looked up with tired eye she was in no mood to put up with anyone at the moment. "Hop away little frog before you get bit."

(Thirty miles outside of Death City.)

Carrin was a witch hadn't been one long rely and she wasn't all that special, she new a few magic tricks and that's it. She joined the coalition of the grand witch so she could pay for collage. She didn't know much about what was happening all she new was that tonight she was in a dirt cave in the middle of a dessert with a piece of shit Bulgarian WW2 radio to coordinate a massive attack. She was told not to be nervous just to repeat everything she hears from the Centurion into the microphone and speech loud and clearly so no morons misunderstand their orders. She should have known their was going to be a problem. Most peoples radios were cutting out and poping with white noise because the age of the radios and the week signal. The big man the Centurion his name was Free he was in charge, he walked in with a shocked look on his face. "were with drawing. Tell everyone to pack up were going home." Carrin nodded and cleared her throat "Attention. Now hear this, we are withdrawing DO NOT attack DO NOT attack."

(Two miles east on a dusty gravel ridge.)

Jeff was once an electrician in LA, he lost his job in the financial crises and struggled to support his family the only place he could find work was for this crazy women with magic powers who was amassing some sort of private army to fight some other crazy people who also seemed to have magic powers. He didn't ask many questions these days because his life had already been turned so far upside down that it was just futile at this point. He didn't even ask how to work this soviet military surplus 82 MM mortar.

He just looked at the pictures in the instruction manual that was written in fluent Russian. He did however ask one question when he herd a nervous sounding girl on the other end of his radio when it started to cut In and out "At-ion...this..." "what he asked trying to listen closely to the orders" "attack...attack" he herd over the static Jeff looked over to his partner Loki from Norway "attack?" Jeff shrugged. "whelp lets get to it."

Free greeted a couple of witches and human mercenary's as the returned to the cave when her herd the sound. The unmistakeable sound of mortar fire. "what are they doing?!" he spat as he turned to Death city in time to see the impact and the explosion of the first barrage of mortars hit the city. "everybody get your shit and go! We have to get out of hear NOW" he pushed past a group of merks. Carin dash off into the night, she knew whoever fired those shots were not going to make it home.

(Death City local broadcast radio 88.3 WMDC)

okay folks you just herd London Calling by the Clash we are now at the top of the hour and the time is now seven o'clock. (sound of voices in the back ground) what rely? Well what happened? (incomprehensible) o- okay well what am I supposed to- (silence) okay folks I'm sorry about that but iv just been told by one of our interns that their has been some sort of series of deadly explosions around the eastern section of the city. Pleas avoid this area and stay off the streets so that emergency responders can get to the sight quicker. Pleas stay tuned as we bring you more information.

(The morning after, Death City student apartments)

The shock wave from the explosion of a mortar can break glass hundred of feet away from the inisal explosion, so you can imagine getting one on your front doorstep one night wile your taken a dump or trying to wash dishes. At first you'll hear a long moaning noise like a plane rapidly declining in altitude then an explosion. Maka and soul new this now, two kids just out of high school witnessed first hand one of the more creative and destructive ways humans have found to murder treacherous. Soul was not in a very happy camper today. One of the three mortars that hit the city happened to land right in the parking lot and his motorcycle Just happened to be a good fifty feet away from the blast, his poor bike got knocked over on its side and blown a few feet, the gas tank got bashed in and that nice orange paint job was utterly destroyed. He felt sick and even if they hadn't just survived an attempt on their lives he still would not have been able to sleep now that his bike had been clammed in the attack, some say he even made a oath to take vengeance for it, in the end it was jut gun get fixed because as it turns out Allstate covers high explosive ordnance in his motorcycle insurance. Maka was sweeping up the shatrd glass in the living room, Crona arrived not bothering to knock she came in and locked the door behind her, today the choice in head ware was slightly unusel to say the least of cores were not ones to judge why she had decided to strap a metal cooking pot to her head like it would some how protect her from danger. Crona ducked behind the couch and looked over to make sure their were no cereal bombers

in the room and she removed the cooking pot "you don't have to wear that. I'm prety sure its all over." "ho- how do you know?" Crona crawled to the kitchen to make sure Maka's pantry had forty eight hours of food and water in case of an emergency. "i told you last night. The guards searched EVRYWARE. They checked all around the dessert and in the sewers to. Their are no terrorist," Crona put her ear to the floor listening for any ticking noises from any bombs. "seriously they'r saying it was probably just one guy. Disgruntled citizen or something." "then what theirs a cereal killer after you?" "i highly doubt it. Its one of those random act of violence things. Unless it happens again we'll probably never know who it was." she emptied the glass shards into a trash can. "were just lucky no one got hurt." she smiled with her hands on her hip. "Whats that?" Maka pointed to a long object Crona had straped to her back. It was something long and wrapped in a cloth. Crona looked over her shoulder as if she had forgotten it was there. "Oh that. Well that's why I came over in the first place." she threw the strap over her head and took the wrapped object to the kitchen table and began to unravel it. Maka stood beside her in curiosity as to what Crona had bright along. The handle of the distinct weapon whiten poked out and Maka's intrigue was only hightend.

The Japanese beleaved that ones weapon was and extincen of their bodys, a reflection of the soul.

To mistreat your weapon would be to mistreat your own soul. But what happens when your weapon is an entity all its own? Who is responsible for the damages then? This dumbfounded our pink hared friend. Therefore new efforts had to be taken or rather a more traditional method. Wile Crona could not always trust her own mind she could at least trust in her ability's as a swordsmen (or swrosdwomen hell I don't know English) so what better weapon suited for her than the Nodachi, the Japanese great sword. The sword was shortened about a foot to compensate for he stature but the blade was of standard thickness. The hand forged behemoth glinted with their reflection. "oooh shiny." Maka studyd it closely, "its a bit heavy for me right now but I'm going to be training hard until I can use it properly." Maka raised an eyebrow "oh. Your planing to USE it?" "well yes. That was the plan." Maka try'd not to sound like that was a crazy idea to her. "oh okay. I guise I just thought that was a bit old-fashion. Most meisters use Soul Eaters." "well technically it is." Crona ran the polishing cloth over the blade "we are, he takes the souls all the same because he,s is alive in a way. he's made of me and me of him, my soul will bond with him over time." Maka never herd of such nonsense, she took a seat trying to make seance of it. "I'm sorry, I'm not quite getting that." she smiled "rely Maka its simple." she took it in hand "this is my weapon. Their are many like it but this one is mine. My weapon is my best friend and I must master it as I must master my life. My weapon, without me, is useless, without my weapon , I am useless. I must swing my blade true, I must swing faster than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must defeat my enemy before he defeats me, I Will. My Weapon is human, even as I, because it is my life, Thus I will learn it as a brother, I will learn its weaknesses and its strengths, its parts, accessories its blade and its grip. I will keep a weapon clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready, we will become part of eachother, We will. Before my god I swear this creed, my weapon and I are defenders of the innocent, we are masers of our enemy, we are saviors of my life. So be it, until victory is ours and their is no enemy, but peace" she ever so delicately slid the blade into the scabbard. Soul was watching from the doorway. "Y- done Sameria Crona? We got a Co-op game on L4D and we could use a third player." Maka giggled "soul why'd you have to ruin that I sounded so cool?" Crona asked deflated

(Somewhere in California)

Loki was on the side of the road somewhere in California he was lost and a bit dehydrated and was probably going to die in the roadside ditch if no one picked him up. He barley escaped the Medusa's wrath, he didn't know it at the time but Jeff had been executed. After Free found them they pleaded for forgiveness but suffered an ass whooping from the brute. They were brought into Medusa's office ware she was so infuriated over what had happened that she orders that they both be set on fire and thrown off a cliff. Loki managed to escape by throwing himself out the back of a moving truck going fifty five, road rash and a concussion didn't pare well with deterioration and for a second it looked likely that he was going to die alone on the side of a desert road. He dropped to his knees and looked to the unforgiving sun just laughing at him like a bloody psycho. But as he closed his eyes and prepared to accept the embrace of death he herd to roar of the engine of an eighteen wheeler, he felt the arms draging him and herd voices that sounded to far away for him to make out what they were saying he didn't even know English so it wouldn't have mattered anyway. But whatever was happening he was grateful.


	12. 1999

Note:oh bolox i just relised TODAY is the 7th of septimber. look im guna look lazy, like i just farted this whol chapter together. i dident i swear alot of effort went into it. i actuly got the dates and stuff down like a mont ago, so me releasing a chapter about cronas birthday ON THE actul day is a coincidence, how about that?

(New years eave 1996)

Medusa made her way threw the crowded house this was the first house party she had been to in a long time. not scene she woke up with the snake tattoo up he arm. but why this one? why in Death City? rather in the outskirts of Death City, she was a witch she was supposed to hate the home of lord Death and the people in it. But at this party their was an unusual mixture of meisetrs and witches and even some more exotic professions and still everyone was laughing, dancing, drinking. It was the most piece Medusa had ever seen between the gropes and it was all because of a party some music and a the promise of a few cold drinks and in the end that's all it realy takes. most of the people between witches and meisters with their weapons had tryd to kill one another at least once or twice but no one seemed to care. The actual resin young Medusa had found herself hear was that she was in a particularly rebellious time in her life and had run astray from all the other witches. She had gotten a haircut and changed her name and began dating a mister she had grown rather close to, the certain man she had been looking for. she eventually spotted him, she walked up and wrapped her arms around him from behind. "there you are Fanken." "Euryale, I almost thought you weren't coming." the younger more energetic Stien smiled, across from him Spirit and his soon to be wife bickerd about having to leave early. Medusa rest her head on Stien's shoulder trying to warm up from the cold night air outside. "Hey Euryale good tu see you." spirit gave that smile that made her cringe. At this point spirit had started growing out of that Rastafarian phase he had gone threw and he now only vaguely smelt of incense and pot, Medusa often wondered how the man wasn't single. still she felt nice enough that night to carry a conversation. her and Stien took a seat and time passed as they made conversation watching the party happen before their eyes as they passed into a new year. "Euryale.." Maka's mother began as she compulsively swept her long blond hair out of her eyes. "i never see you at the meisters headquarters what do you do around Death city?" it was easy to hear ware Maka had gotten high pitched voice." Im in research. that's how Franken and i met. common interests just seemed to pull us together." "we sort of gravitate toward eachouther." Stien stretched his arms over his head popping the bones in his arms. soon they saw Mary whom made a small sad smile and waved and kept moving. spirit and Stien exchanged glances and waved back at the girl. Stien and Mary had gone their separate ways a wile back and seeing a new girl curled up next to Stien probably opend some woonds for Mary who was sencative anyway, but her friend Asuza was their keeping her mind off of any painful memorys . after Maka's mother came back from having a friendly conversation with a muscular Sid and a always full of attitude Nygus she tugged on Spirits sleeve "hay come on! theirs this Jamaican magician who interprets dreams for beer. you gotta tell him about that one ware you were in your underwear and you ran into Ronald Lee Ermey" "baby do i have to?" she smiled "yes. now come on!" "I guise ill see you around Stien." he said as he was suddenly yanked from the couch and drug across the floor. Stien waved as they were swallowed by the crowd. he was now alone in the crowd with Medusa (or Euryale as she had cleverly named herself thanks to her greek mythology classes in community collage.), she tightened her grip around him as his eyes shifted from the crowd to Medusa "your hair smells like formaldehyde." Stien said in a low voice, she ran her fingers threw her hair "yeah sorry.." "no its okay. i like it." he felt her breath on his neck and suddenly lost all feeling in that side of his body. he craned his neck and looked into her narrowed golden eyes and felt her lips as she planted a kiss on his neck. to this day he still remembers the song that was playing when she did. "party like its 1999" by Prince. (ironically recorded and released in 1986) it always makes him feel sentimental.

(a month after the bombing)

(September 7th 2013)

happy birthday sweetheart Stien smiled at the pink haird girl as he presented her her own finely made lab coat fitted to her size. to some it would seem like an off the wall gift but in the Franken Stien household it was a very powerful symbol and Crona was overjoyed with the gift, Stien was happy that she was pleased. their was a knock at the door and Stien was swift to go and answer. no one was at the door though at his foot was a thin box wrapped with care. Stien picked it up assuming it was a gift for Crona. he made one last look in every direction for the mystery gifter but he decided that if they didn't want to be seen it was probably best. he came back to Crona who was siting on the couch "hear Crona theirs one more..from...someone.." he handed it to her. she very gently unfolded the paper and sled out the small cardboard box and opened it. it was a picture frame. she looked into it at the couple posed in the picture. she recognized the young professor Stien but the women he had his arm around...her golden hair was a twinge of familiarity but she froze as she looked into her eyes..the eyes of a snake. she dropped the picture frame and it made a loud clacking noise alarming Stien. "Crona whats-" he looked at the picture on the ground

"oh..that."

"so yes I'm your father." Stien explained from next to her on the couch, she tryd not to make eye contact with him. "can you beleve that she was a good person once? I have to wonder what happened." he looked at her, she fidgeted and her eyes shot around the room "this is a lot to take in I realize." "why didn't you tell me?" Stien took a short opportunity to kick himself in the ass. "I thought you'd feel betrayed." "why?" "what do you mean why? You hate your mother."

"no that's wrong." Stien adjusted his glasses. He hated not knowing peoples reactions, not being able to read peoples emotions or predict them. "I cant hate my mother. And I don't feel betrayed Just super awkward." "your not angry?" "of cores not." Stien sat back in the chair. "did you love her?" "she was everything to me. I didn't know she was pregnant. She just stopped showing up for work. When I looked for her her apartment was empty." "but why didn't she stay with you?" "Id sure like to know." Crona smiled and picked the picture up off the floor and put it on the table."lets see.. so I have my fathers nose my mothers body structure, striat hair from you both. I have your sanity and her boldness." Stien sat back with a week smile "hope this doesn't put a dampener on your birthday." "no its been the best Iv ever had."

(From the journal of Crona Gorgon..or is it Crona Stien?)

I could never hate my mother, even if I should. You know she never once hit me out of anger. though her punishments were extreme, though she gave me this miserable disease, she put Ragnarok in my body and let him beat me. She wanted me to be powerful but shes so disilusaned, and I have come to only one conclusion. She must be sick, defective like me. She is smart, diabolical and has the capability to feel love as noted by my father ware once I thought she was not able. But then why? Why bistill your diabolical intentions on a product of your love? Unless she was broken.

Perhaps one day I will fix her.

Maybe then we can be a family.

(the castle of the NEW grand witch)

Medusa opened the heavy wooden door to the Keep the large court yard surrounding the castle which held a chapel a post office and a bar. "is no one going to get the door?" she said fuming pissed that the guard wasn't at the post to open the door with that hydraulic system "Hello?! Got down hear so I can smack you!" she called up ware the guard was supposed to be. And why why was it so quite? She got a feeling that something was amiss. She took causes steps to the chapel in the center of the keep ware the door was slightly open. Carefully she peered into the large chapel mane room, the rows of pews were empty, but something moved shuffling around. Her eyes struggled to make out what it was in the dark "make snake, cobra cobra." she whispered, her pupils grew as hew sight changed, with a small spell she could see heat signatures and whatever was shuffling around the chapel was huge. She couldn't see clearly but it was huge and hot as hell. Medusa redyed herself for a fight as she saw it turn toward her but it suddenly took off in another direction as if it herd something. Medusa was taken aback by its strength throwing aside the heavy wooden pews that had to be a good five hundred pounds each like they were made of paper. She herd a the scream of a girl, a familiar girl. Medusa rounded the corner to see a massive humanoid like beast with arms the sise of tree trunks, its whole body had huge disgusting veins popping out, it was only wearing a pare of torn trousers and a ripped shirt like a pail non-heroic version of the hulk. The "not hulk" had its big powerful hands wrapped around Erika with clear intent to tear her head off. "I'm sorry you appear to be roid raging," the beast turned its head to Medusa "ill give you one chance and one chance only. Put down my servant girl before I turn you into a meal for my anacondas" the beast huffed "GAAAAAH!" it bellowed with a deep toan like a grizzly bear It rose Ericka above his head and threw her like a rag doll right at Medusa. A vector arrow appeared in the air, Erika struck the arrow sending her flying towards ceiling of the chapel, she flailed and screamed as she was almost pancaked against the sealing or sent blasting off like Team Rocket but was stopped by another arrow slowed by her accent, she was shot toward the ground, she closed her eyes prepared to hit the stone floor. But she didn't feel herself splat on the floor, something caught her. she peeled her hands away from her eyes and looked over. She had be caught with one hand by the stern grand witch "Medusa?" she didn't look at her, Medusa's eyes were locked on the Beast which had trudged its way to the mane walk way. "Erika take my coat." she straightened her arms "also, stay out of the way. Or you'll be killed." Erika nodded taking her coat and stepped aside. The beast let out a snarl indicating his patents had run out. Erika hid behind a planter full of shrubs in the lobby next to the bath rooms. The behemoth slammed his fists into the stone flor causing a small earthquake, wile Medusa tryd to regain her balance the beast charged at her. She formed a vector arrow under her feet shooting her backwards out the door, beast charged threw the wooden door of the chapel ripping it off its hinges, Another vector arrow sent medusa to the left and she caught herself on a lamp post as the beast slammed into the wall off he keep, dragging himself up he ran to Medusa ripping the lamp post from the ground and swung it at her which she avoided by ducking below his knees, she shot a bundle of vector arrows from her finger tips and slashed at his legs tearing flesh all the way to the bone and swollen mussel tissue. He swatted at her with his massive hand which she avoided again she countered by sending a swarm of vectors swarming up his arm and began diging on his flesh. Erica had run past them to the guard tower to find something useful . Uselessly the guards had guns stored their but she didn't quite know what her end game was because she had never fired one in her life. She herd a loud yelp for Medusa, she looked down into the cort yard. Medusa had been struck by the beast and was sent flying into a stone wall, the beast trudged toward her, its flesh hung like torn rags. I met Medusa face to face and prepared to stomp her rib cage in when suddenly it felt something when splatter on its back, and then another, all around it it herd a disgusting splattering sound and a croaking noise. Medusa looked to the sky and the beast turned its head. "plague of frogs!" Erika shouted at the top of her lungs. From the heavens above rained frogs by the thousand. The beast was only distracted a second longer than Medusa, that's all she needed. The summond the biggest sharpest vector she could muster, the vector shot forth from the stone wall with enough force to cleave the beasts head off. Medusa managed to roll to the side as its massive car sized body slid down the wall, frogs landed on her and the amphibios rain showed no signs of stopping. Erika ran across the grounds of the keep trying not to step on any frogs, the had an umbrella tucked under her arm, just as Medusa wonderd why she had it the rain of frogs slowly became an actual down poor of rain (the non-frog type). She opened the umbrella over herself and Medusa. "that was incredible!". Medusa sat on the ground and wiped a string of blood off her bottom lip "i suppose." she rose to her feet "you did well." Erika hid a wide grin by looking away, "now ware is everyone?" Erika's little moment was shattered and she didn't even get to enjoy it. "well most of them are ether dead or ran away" "then wares Free?" "no ones seen him seance you left this morning. Its his day off so theirs no telling." the rain was starting to puddle around their shoes. "Lets go inside. We shouldnt be out in this." she took the umbrella "come along." she motioned with her hand

(Later that night back in Death City)

"yes now come on. Everyones waiting for you" Maka pulled Crona down the hall of Lord Deaths mansion. "I told him not to make it a big deal. Its just people you know, I promise." Crona herd the distant music, something by Men At Work was playing, soul and Maka had spent an entire evening pirating music that Crona would like stuff like Paramore, Gorillaz, Franz Ferdinand, the Clash, Modest Mouse and so on and so forth. Crona rely didn't enjoy big partys mainly because she disliked crowds and what she disliked even more was being forced to socialize in big crowds, the feeling of so many different people around her trying to interact with her in ways she didn't fully understand made her head spin, ever seance her lifestyle change she was quite prone to culture shock usely resulting in her retreating to a dark corner. She had her good cloths on, the full white button up shirt and jeans outfit now with some added stitches and suters indicating her connection to the Stien family. "okay remember how we've been practicing. Try and make eye contact. Just try and make simple answers if you get nervous, if it look like your about to loos it ill step in and we can try again" Maka smiled and pecked Crona's cheek, she tryd to smile "don't worry its not going to be like last time. Youll do fine!" Crona took a deep breath and walked around the corner with Maka. Her grip on Maka's hand tightened, it was worse than she thought, It wasn't just people she knew, but just about EVRYONE she new from around Death City and make no mistake though she is an anti social Crona had met a lot of people collectively over her time in Death City even the couple who ran the Japanese market she frequented were there for some resan. "Kid.." Maka had regretted leveing invitations to Kid and the Thompson sisters, but she was surprised to feel her hand being tugged along toward the crowd. "you still want to do this?" she asked Crona "these people came for me. The least I can do is deal with all this." Maka stopped for a second but then started walking again "I'm proud of you."she smiled "Im glad. I don't know if it will make it any easier though."


	13. Things I Don't Remember

(castle of the NEW grand witch)

"I need to get that delivered."..."yes I'm in the giant castle."..."sweety how many giant castles do you know of in the state of Nevada?"..." yes that one the one with all the Witches." Medusa walked into the main hall of her castle, she fallowed the voice and sneered when she saw the source. Her dear sister Araknia had made herself at home and took the Medusa's hand carved throne, she was on the phone and only suddenly saw Medusa, she put a hand up gesturing to Medusa to wait a moment like she owned the place. "yes...yes thank you." she hung up the phone and smiled "oh Medusa! Its so good to see you, you'v grown so much seance I last saw you!" "what are you doing in my castle? Who let you in hear?" Araknia didn't seem like she cared one bit about Medusa's frustration "oh I let myself in, I brought one of my pets along, have you seen him." "big guy? Bad attitude?" Arakni nodded "yes that's my Bruno." "yes I just chopped his head off in the cortyard, be sure go drag his corps with you on your way out.." Medusa began to speech with a bit of spite. "oh sister why do you have to be so hateful?" she rose from the throne " after all I know how much you missed me after I moved out of moms place." "i took your room as soon as you left." "only because it was touched with my greatness. But that's not what were hear to talk about." "your monster ran off all of my employees...you have a lot to answer for.." Araknia put her hands on Medusa's shoulders "look you and I are two very educated women. We have our wants and needs and our means to get them, so instead of fighting like we did when we were children why don't we try and take over the world together." "you and I cant sit through a family reunion without a fight. What makes you think you and I are going to take over the world?" "because of you grew up in my shadow." "I,m going to hit you..." Medusa narrowed her eyes "but you see now your the one who has everything going for her. And a private army" "which you scared away.." " you also have a castle and a stock pile of magic spells and conventional weaponry. And me. I'm just one witch out on her own.." "your not going to make me feel bad for you.." "Medusa I just think you and I could do this job so much more effectively together." "I'm not guna do it." Araknia smiled "then why don't I make it worth your wile?" "what do mean that?" Araknia paced around "what if I could promise you a chance with Stien?" Medusa let out a groan "you have five minutes to explain yourself."

(Death City meisters Therapy office)

"Blood was warm, Those days after I finished murdering people I imagined that being covered in worm blood must be what hug was like. I would be told that I was a good girl and that I had made my mother proud. That part made me smile. Happy, I don't think I ever felt that emotion until recently. I knew what happiness was a good thing and that if my mother was pleased then I did good and maybe I would get to feel it too. But I never did, not rely, Medusa she try'd I think, she made an effort once and a wile to do motherly things, she took me to the movies and sometimes we walked in the park, but I always knew it would never last, soon shed have me doing bad things again, id kill a few thugs or homeless people no one would miss or some corrupt aristocrat and Ragnarok would harvest their souls, Medusa would call me back and then she just put me in my room with him. There were nights when I was older Ragnarok he would..do things to me, I don't want to talk about that but perhaps its yet another factor..." "Crona may I stop you there?" the therapist had stopped writing long ago and was listening to Crona,s story in absolute horror "yes?" Crona was afraid she had done something wrong, the therapist smiled timidly "I'm sorry but maybe we should deal with one issue at a time." Crona nodded "if you think that will help." "can you just tell me one little thing. Just one?"

she was silent

"just one. Take your time."

"well I can tell you one thing.."

"yes?"

"my blood is black."

Stien was in the waiting room of the therapist office waiting for Crona to finish her first appointment.

They both didn't think it was necessary, she wasn't rely a danger to anyone accept kishen but if she was going to roam free Lord Death insisted that she seek psychological help, Stien didn't agree, a therapist never helped him and he was sure it wouldn't help Crona ether, shed probably prescribe her some pills and try and trade her sadness for numbness instead of getting to the root of the problems like a professional. He didn't like it but he sat there reading a news paper he wasn't even half way interested in. A scream pierced the tranquility of the office and Stien cast the news paper aside and ran to the therapists room. She was huddled in the corner cowering in fear of Crona who sat innocently on the couch with a tearifyd look on her face "I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you!" Stien took a sigh of relief "my apologias. Did her eyes kind o-" the nurse smacked away his hand as he tryd to help her up "that thing isn't human! Get it out get it out!" Stien slowly turned "riiiight. Crona deer it seems the lunatics have taken over the asylum,

that evening Crona sat in the graveyard watching the sun set, she still felt guilty for scaring the therapist even if she rely didn't like her all that much. She slumped herself against a tombstone that read " Kyle Kinane: 1969 – 2009 I just died in your arms tonight "must have been something you said"" the fist time she read that it actually forced her to laugh a little and she came back to it to relax ever since. The sun cast a shadow on her, the shadow sat for hours just as Crona. But then she herd the voice. Its round little eyes and its toothy smile were the same as she had last seen it. "hay. Do you remember me?" Crona nodded "its been a wile. You'v been very busy. I just wanted to ask you some questions if that's okay." "okay." "hmm? Arrant you going to ask if you can pass?" Crona shook her head "okay, if you say so. First ones easy. Whats your name?" she smiled " Crona Stien." the shadow turned its head in surprise. "very good! You finely got one! After all these years you finely awnserd my question!" the Shadow-Crona bounced around with a wide grin. "dose it feel good? That you can finely answer one?" "yeah I guise it dose" Crona smiled a little rubbing her hands together, "no more lines in the sand, your doing it all by yourself now. Issent that great?" it asked growing a bit smaller as the sun started to fall past the horizon, Crona nodded. "maybe one day you wont even need me. Don't you think?" "ill always need you." they were quite for a wile "okay. then let me ask one more?" "yes go ahead." "do you think Maka's cute wile shes sleeping or do you think shes REALY cute?" Crona's face glowed pink, she waved her hand at the question. "p-pass. I pass" the shadow-crona giggled " well I should have known the answer to that one. You did great! Maybe next time we can answer even more." "yes perhaps." she leaned on the stone. "Crona?" she looked over her shoulder to Stien standing with a lit cigaret stuck in between his lips "who are you talking to?" "i dunno, myself I guise" she looked over and of cores her shadow had returned to normal and just about vanished in the pail light of the dusk. "I see. Yeah I get that.." he propped himself against a grave marker. "If you cant find someone interesting to talk to then talk to yourself. That's what I always say." "yeah I know I read your book."

(the next day, In the Death Room)

"if your having kishen problems if feel bad for you son.

I got 99 souls but a witch ain't one."

if soul hadn't known someone had done it before he would say it was impossible. The last two attempts were commendable but now he and Maka had started to make themselves look a bit slow. Maka had to hold back her emotions in front of Lord Death. "I'm sorry kids. I know you tried rely hard. You just have bad luck is all." soul looked up with hopeful eyes "so like maybe you can give us a pass?" Lord Death shook his head "I'm afraid not Evans. It wouldn't be fair to all the outhers" "aw man. So we gota start all over again? Like..again?" "yes no exceptions." the room was silent and full of disappointment all around. "However seance you have collected nienty nine souls three times already I will grant you an advantage. For this attempt..."

(meanwhile in the EAT class)

"and as you can see the effect of the band White Snake is of a similar up lifting effect on the soul as Jurny or Queen, can anyone tell me why this is?" the intercom speaker buzzed and crackled over head "ms. Crona Stien pleas come to the head office. Thank you." Crona sat up at her desk looking around she hadn't remembered doing anything wrong she was just minding her own business but of corse all the thoughts began swimming around in her head. "well you herd the man Crona. You are excused." Stien smiled trying to get her to focus "r-right." she closed her book and headed out. Walking down the hall she tryd to think of the resins she had been called "it must be a plot. Maybe their going to assassinate me!...no no that's stupid Crona why would that even happen?" she struck her palm on her forehead, a sort of thing she did whenever she had a weird paranoid thought, paranoia often lead her to self destruction so it was best for her to nip such things in the bud. She opened the office door ware a shot little red daman man sat at a desk. "there you are. Lord Death will see you now." he said in a squeaky voice. Crona stood and stared at him wile he did some paper work "well? What are you waiting for?" "oh, nothing I just...aren't you supposed to be a bad guy?" the demon looked up "in the real world kid you just got to work at any place that'le hire you. Now move along." Crona shuffled past him and up to the mirror. "eehhh..." she let out a sigh of dread. She reached out her hand, and he with drew it with hesitation..."just close your eyes. Nothing bad's going happen" she took a deep breath and placed her hands on the mirror, she began to move threw the mirror like a ghost and soon she went all the way threw.

The feeling of changing planes of existence is an odd one for sure and takes a wile to get used to. Its like the soundless vacuum of space as your slingshot between the realms, the place referd to as the "in-between" is like looking at a photo negative, everything is black ,blue and white a disturbing place to be for more than a few seconds and its drove Crona nuts every time. Coming out of the outer end its like she has to wait a moment for her brain to catch up with her.

She sat on her knees in front of the mirror facing down the guillotine hall, a small strand of drool ran down the side of her mouth making zombifyde moans. "eeergeeh..." Maka had run down the hall to meet her and make sure she had mad the transition safely. She put her hands on her hips "well shoot.." she shook Crona by her shoulders "wooohooo Crona. Ground Control to major Crona..." their was no response from the pink headed day tripper.

"Therefor it will be vital for you three to act as a unit" lord death stated mater of factually.

He looked up to Maka dragging Crona by her arms down the hall. "oh dear is she comatose again?" Maka shook her head with a frustrated look on her face "no I used my Maka chop on her" "whyd you have to do that?" Maka had a small flustered blush on her face, she scratched the back of her head "ambush...look its not important." " Maka?" Crona looked rather confused laying on the floor " oh my head hurts. Why did you do that? That was so mean." "oh don't give me that. You had that one coming." "children pleas if you can focus.." lord death was confused by the shenanigans of his young students "but Maka I was just playing.." "but this is serious. Look this is lord deaths serious face." she said pointing at him. "GIRLS." lord death barked in a gravely powerful voice. Maka and Crona stopped there bickering and stood at attention. Lord Death cleared his throat and looked a bit embarrassed " apologies. But pleas focus so we can move on." he didn't march so much because he doesn't have mortal legs so instead he hovered back and forth as if he were marching "Crona the resin I have called you hear today with your friends is that both of your cases present a unique challenge for you both. You Crona cannot be sent into the feild alone. That is against DWMA standards you MUST have a living breathing partner. And as for you soul and Maka you two seem unable to collect the ninty nine and one souls you need to graduate. Luckily you can help each outher out. You three may now work together as a group and you will split the souls until the gole is reached" "rely? That's awesome!" Lord Death put his finger in the air (the learning finger) as a gesture for Maka to slow down "however! You will need to collect twice as many soul. One hundred and ninety eaght souls and two witch souls." "aww what?" soul began to rub his forehead "its only fare iv given you all enough of an advantage already. But just imagine it will you, youv had so mutch bad luck that when things finely go right for you all for once you'll be so ready for it!" he tryd to assure them. Crona's eyes bounced around the room. 'yes what a silly thought I had, oh silly Crona. No ones out to assassinate you..' she thought "Crona." lord Death started, she was startled and ducked in an evasive action "oh s-sorry...i just.." she rose to her feet "nothing uhm..what were you saying?" lord Death squinted his eyes looking at her. "uh-huh...inform master Mefune of your situation and have him train you in group combat tactics. We don't need you accidentally loping poor Maka head off." he joked in his obliviously dark manner. Crona shutterd at the thought. "how are your lessons coming thogh?" Crona thought for a moment "well.."

(top secret sword meister trading ground)

(rely its just Mefunes back yard...)

"that was good but keep the blade out of the dirt, you don't want to end up with a rusty dull blade do you?" Crona dug the tip of the blade out of the ground. She cut right threw the straw bundle leaving an only somewhat jagged. "that isn't some bastard-sword, that's a hand over hand, a good one too." Mefune took well to Crona thogh he didn't like to show it, she had the personality he adored. She was his first student because their had been no sword meisters seance the beginning of the semesters, he liked teaching her because it was what he knew, she didn't have one of those fancy soul eater kids who turned into weapons, He cringed at the thought of them some times, he seemed to believe they had some sort of "holyer than thou are" attitude towards meisters using non-transmorphing weaponry. "hear let me help." he put his hands around Crona's and moved them around "there, you.." he looked to her face and the weird expression she had on, he hadn't gotten to know her so he didn't know about her issue with people she didn't know well touching her hands "you okay?" "yeah..uh uh uh..yes just..its nothing." Mefune made a mental note. "now lets cut this one down the middle. Imagine that straw bundle is some big guy. Bring your blade over your head." he gestured using one of his own Katanas

"and and bring it down like your going to hit him right on the forehead." Crona worked up for a big swing, she arched her back, Mefune tapd her on the back with his sword (wile it was in the sheath of corse) "keep your back strength and remember to lock your wrist so you can control the blade this time. Now have at it." Crona took a powerful swing, it cut all the way threw the straw bundle, unfortunately yet again she couldn't stop the heavy blade with its full momentum and the tip dug into the ground. "huh. I think your going to end up ruining my back yard at this rate. I think we need to build on your upper body strength." "Mefune.." a small voice came from the back porch. Angela was siting at a table watching them train wile she herself studyd a massive spell book."I'm hungry.." he smiled " well eat in a moment, be patent please." upon Mefunes arrival he said he would only stay if Angela would be guaranteed safety, wile lord Death could be stone harted if he chose he couldn't find it in himself to diny a chilled safety even if she was a witch, but she had to be Mefunes responsibility. "that will be all for tonight Crona. Tomorrow we will beguin strength building exorcises so be prepared." Crona nodded cleaning off the blade of the nodachi, she placed it in the sheath. "your a shy one." he said picking up the sliced bundles of straw, "you haven't said anything seance you arrived." "sorry." she hadn't rely looked at him ether, she didn't quite consider him a friend yet, she hardly knew a thing about him so Crona being who she is didn't like the idea of getting to close. She was warming to him though, if he was the one taking care of Angela maybe he wasn't so bad. "well that's okay. Make sure you sharpen your blade tonight and clean it." Crona nodded "your doing well, it takes time to switch gears and pick up something new like this." he opened the gate that lead from his back yard to the street. "get home safely." "goodbye" Crona said shyly as she shuffled by him. Mefune had been the one that sold professor Stien her new sword, or not so much sold it to him as they came to an agreement, a deal that was probably not entirely legal, Stien would have Joe (now the local constable) overlook some of Mefunes past criminal activity's encase of an investigation, in return all mefune would need to do is some small favors for the faculty of the DWMA. He let her have a sword that was sitting around collecting dust in his storage room and agreed to give her lessons how to use it. He hadn't been told her story, he didn't want to ask why their was black shit leaking from her eyes or why she moved around like someone who was possessed, he didn't want to be rude and perhaps he though it was better not to know. But if it was one thing that made him decide to agree to Stien's proposition it was that she was a young person willing to learn and he couldn't say no to that.

(Chupicabras...7:00pm)

"but anyway Maka and her friend lost all their souls again." "that's a shame." Stien said sunken into the booth. Spirit took another drink from bear and set it back on the table. "and so now they got partnered up with Crona." "yeah. Herd that." "and what'd she have to say about it?" Stien watched some of the girls at the bar glance at him and giggle. He looked back at the wall he had been staring at for the last hour "well she just seemed exited as you can imagine. Its allot of responsibility though." spirit let out a sigh "i just hope they can focus. I don't want their to be any regrets-." "spirit wait.." Stien sat up. "isn't that two of the academy students?" spirit looked over to the full bar and scanned down the row of seats when he saw one bald shy dome of a person waring a green vest and next to him was a boy with a shaved head and a rather distinct pair of glasses. "is that Ox an Havar?" "yeah. What are they doing in hear? Thier like..Maka's age." Stien pondered what he should do. "i think we should just leave it alone frank." "their kids spirit. What if if they get up to the same shit we did as kids?" spirits memory's started flooding back. The less than responsible and highly ilegal adventures of young Franken Stien and Spirit Albarn. "we gota stop this.." Stien thought for a moment "just hang back. Give it about two minouts and if I'm not back then just stroll up like you didn't know I was hear.." "got it."

Spirit and Stien sat in a booth in the back in the darker corner, Ox and Havar didn't see them and they were having the time of their lives doing what they did best and secretly raising hell and daveling into activitys much the same as spirit and Stien at their age. Ox was the genius who figured out how to make fake ID'S and get them into a bar for people twenty one up. Seance Ox was bald and the room was dark the bar tender didn't ask any questions only to see his ID, Havar did his best to disguise his voice, it shouldn't have worked but ether it fooled the bar tender or he just didn't give a shit. "did you know Havar that homo sapiens first showed up in the fossil record over 400,000 yeas ago. In that time Usain Bolt the fastest man on earth could have sprinted to Pluto and back 14 times?" Ox took a sip of his drink. "but don't you think he would have gotten tired?" Havar said with slight curiosity. "well did you know that humanity as a whole wasted four point eight million hours or five hundred and forty eight years playing Pacman on Google? That's longer than the duration of the Roman Empire..." Stien walked up trying to act inconspicuous. "hello you two, how are you two doing?" he said in a nonchalant voice, Ox at first didn't seem like he knew for sure if the voice was talking to him or not but after he recognized it he turned in his seet, Stien had a wide grin on his face "i hope you two have your homework in order, I t is a school night you know.." "professor..I'm surprised to see you." ox mumble. The bartender raised an eyebrow "wait you mean these two are academy students?" he asked with a gravelly Brooklyn accent. "oh yes two of my top students as well. "but wait wouldn't that mean their to young to be in hear?" "precisely..." Ox and Havar were ready to run out the door, Stien put his hands on their shoulders "but oh well there fathers come hear all the time I'm sure THEYL give them a ride home..." his terrifying smile still scars their brains "Havar don't you have that thing that we need to do back at your apartment?" "uh yeah it still needs doing..so we should probably get going" "oh you sure you don't want to stay? Maybe you can get to know . I'm sure Kim would like her." "no no. we get your point we'll go. We don't want any trouble" Stien pushed his glasses up. "good then I expect to see you both in class tomorrow." Ox and Havar didn't waist any time leaving, they even forgot to pay for there drinks so spirit would probably have to play debt collector for the bar tender. Stien walked back to the table "ah youth.. wish I could go back to their age." "Stien your immortal..." "still we cant go back to those days. And that's just a bit depressing."

(next day in the EAT class)

"hay did you hear Maka and soul lost all their souls AGAIN?" "what? Rely?" the whispers among some nameless meisters coght Kid's attention "what are those two stupid or somethin?" "i hear they have that pink headed girl helping them now." "Jacklyn?" "no no the emo girl." "isn't she a lesbian?" "yeah shes totally Maka's girlfriend." "Rely?" "yeah dude its been going on for months, its totally obvious" "couple of queers.." Kid could hear Every word, He sat directly behind them, he was in striking distance but he begrudgingly restrained himself, even if his father owned the school he couldn't just go around being the snot out of all the mouthy punks. "good morning class. Glad to see were all hear." Stien eyed Ox and Havar in the front row, the boys sat up right with big fake nervous grins on their face. "now today Id like start us off by dissecting a Kishen Egg. "Crona's probably going to ace this one, stein has her doing this stuff all the time." patty whispered to her older sister "speaking of Crona has anyone seen her or Maka and soul today?" "their off on a misson. They had to shuv off the Iceland early this morning.."

(to be continued obviously..)


	14. Riding the Fourth Wave

Note: good looord above~. These chapters are geting longer and longer. Crazy how much I can write in five separate nights threw the week. I'm producing content like never before! I would love to hear what you jiggly readers have to say about what has been written so far, so if you have a comment pleas leave one. Any suggestion an ware the story should go next? Leave a comment and well..who knows.. ill more than likely comment back unless its hate mail or a death threat from deranged male-crona fan.

(iv already gotten three mail bombs and a bag of anthrax, it was funny at first now its jut inconvenient)

anyway enjoy.

(from the journal of Crona Stien)

I'm on a boat and I'm miserable.

I cant go outside or ill throw up, soul called it the "sea sickness"

I didn't know the see was sick. Is it viral? What if I go back

Home and spread it around? We'll have a full blown pandemic!

Death City cant handle that! So I locked myself in the ships

bathroom with some food and water and I'm going to wait for

the sickness to burn out. If no one hears from me again,

I love everyone.

(mean wile in the ships cabin)

"there you are." Maka was siting in the cabin looking at a map of Iceland, the great big frozen (and yet still on fire) rocky island would proov tricky to navigate seance just use directions like "turn left at the volcano." or "if you run into the iceberg you'v gone to far.". Soul sat at the booth and put his head in his hands "why." he simply said. "why what?" she asked not looking up from the map she try'd in vain to memorize. "we could have just taken a plane like civilized people, but no were taking a boat instead!" "soul the airports closed, their was a volcanic eruption and the air is too full of ash for planes to land or take off." "then why couldn't this have just waited? I'm freezing my tits off and Crona's in the bathroom puking her guts out" he pointed to the long line of sailors at the bathroom door waiting to use the bathroom. "those guys are guna chop the door down if she doesn't hurry up." "throw her overboard!" they herd one of the men yell from the line. "now wares the place were going and when do I get to eat?" "you'll get to eat when the jobs done." she try'd to focus "swine.." she muttered under her breath "what as that short stack?". In the hall the restless sailors had enough, one of the me kicked the door down with a little more effort than it should have taken, "no noooo! Stay back! Ill vomit on your shoes!" they herd Crona threaten in a miserable tone. Soul started sifting threw some grainy photos. "whats this?" "evidence." Maka began "the villagers have been attacked by some woodland beast that showd up a few months ago "woodland beast?" Maka shrugged "I don't know, they swear up and down its not a bear. Besides the souls a missing from the corpses they find. "corpses? So its probably not a meister. If it was the body's would just evaporate. Kinda like when that Manson guy ripped that soul out of that bodys chest cavity." "right. Trouble is what could they consider a beast that's still eating souls?". Crona was tossed out of the bathroom, her arm popped out of its socket and made a sick cracking sound, she rolled a few feet like a rag doll, she sat upright and popped her arm into place not seeming to feel any pain "ow you guys...that was so mean..." she staggered to her feet and shuffled over to the table and sat next to Maka and, she sniffled and slammed her head into the table and just. "is she okay?" soul asked not sure if he should be concerned "hmm? Oh yeah shes fine" Maka smiled and went back to studying the report.

(Death city grave yard, just outside the city limits, Sunset.)

"that's Stien's place there" Medusa pointed at the house in the distance, it was a speck from the distance, "I see. He's the morbid type isn't he, choosing a place with a grave yard view." "i guise you can say that." Araknia pulled a pack cigarets "need one." "i don't smoke. You know that." "suet yourself." she said lighting herself one. "You know Medusa, if you don't want this life anymore ill take it for you." "Medusa was barley listening, she was to buisy thinking about Stien, she was so close, she could run to him, if only... "i can take it all away, I'm your big sister, you know, id do that for you." Medusa looked at her feet "you could never." she felt something poke her in the back. She knew she was screwed, "you want it all?" Araknia turned the safety off the revolver she had in her hands "you don't even want it. You don't want this life, now its mine." Medusa decided to just give up, there was no point anymore, she struggled long enough, she clung like a barnacle on a boat that capsized long ago. It was pointless to fight for a man who would never love her, to try and redeem herself to a chilled that she knew hated her, if Araknia wanted her army of cowards she could have it, "take it." their was no hesitation from Araknia, she didn't feel anything just recoil.

(Reykjavik Iceland)

the harbor of the capital city was gray and misty, rain water collected on the roofs of the white washed row housing, their was a fishing wharf nearby and the smell of wasted fish wafted thew the air. The kids were supposed meet a guide who would take them to the village a hour away in the lower reaches of the mountains. His name was Storn, a native of the land and at one time a DWMA student, with his soul eater Dima, Storn was a muscular man with blond hair, tattoos and a bear, he looked like a proper barbarian, Dima looked much the same except a bit shorter he took the weapon form of a brod-sword, "welcome to the island, forgive us, its not much these days." Storn said as the walked threw the harbor. In the distance some men huddeld around an oil barrel, one of the men tossed in a couple of bundles to get a fire started. "what are those guys doing over there?" soul asked walking along with his hands in his pocket. "some of the people have resorted to burning there money to stay warm." Dima elbowed him in the ribs "it was a joke, settle yourself." Dima spit on the ground "yeah but things are ppretty rough.". Crona looked around at the bleak surroundings, it was almost like Russia in island form, she adored the place, like it was a place she could spend allot time, a poetry to it she could see the underlying grammar of the place she understood the beating of the islands heart...or maybe it was the side effects from the sea sickness pills she taken erlyer, Ether way she was pleased with the place at the moment. They loaded up into the back of a truck, the air was brisk and some of the roads were less developed so they were spotted with potholes or they were gravely or sometimes both. Dima tryd to keep up a conversation but he was sticky on his English and didn't get a lot of what they were talking about. They Enjoyd the scenery but eventually the would need to get to work.

(back at Death City)

Medusa was surprised to see light as she slowly opened her eyes, she was groggy and very numb come to think of it she couldn't move at all but that was beyond her at this point, she just tried to get her brain to work but it just wasn't firing on all cylinders, it was like a rusted ingenue locked up and uncomprehending, the light was to bright to see but she new that evryonce and a wile someone would lean over her. After a wile she herd whispers and movements but they sounded so far away, she new she herd a few songs playing in the background softly playing, ever so lightly "Hear I go again" by White Snakea song she always liked, Franken had it on keset tape and they listened to it all the time. After her visan came into focus she still had a hard time placing ware she was but she knew an operating table when she saw one. "pass me they thread, ill sew up the wound." she knew that voice, it was Franken's so she knew things would be okay. she still couldn't move, more then likely they had given her a strong sedative. She just let the sedative do the work to bring her back into sleep, perhaps her loving boyfriend would fill her in when she awoke.

"I'm not helping you with this. This is just..messed up." spirit crossed his arms and gave Stien a firm look. "well whatever, if you don't want your hands in this I cant say I blame you. But I'm not letting her die." "you could get in a lot of trouble for this you know." Stien worked on sewing up the exit wound in Medusa abdomen "shes the mother of my chilled. Would you want your x-wife to do the same to you spirit?" "its different Stien my wife isn't out to murder everyone." Stien was quite wile he worked for a moment. "pleas spirit I'm asking you, don't say anything about this." spirit looked at the uncontentious women on the table "whats your plan with her anyway?" Stien paused and twisted the bolt in his head, Spirit was held in tension as the clicking noise echoed threw the room, the last loud click came as the tumblers fell into place. "cant say not knowing spirit, I haven't thoght that far ahead." Stien looked at some charts and made some note. "she was dead for around ten menuts..and that's just when I found her." he made a sigh. "iv brought yet another dead person back to life" "if it were anyone else I'm sure it'd be considered a miracle. But sorry if I'm a little cynical." Stien shrugged at spirit "pleas hold your applause. Thiers no telling what effect this could have on her brain."

(hours later)

'the last free bed in the house. Its all yours for now.' he had placed her in his bed and he pulled up a chair. Crona probably wouldn't be back for a couple of days and spirit lounged around in the living room, all that Stien could do is sit and wait. He read a book to keep himself occupyd, he watched her in sleep pondering what he would do with the women or what she would do to him. The silence killed Stien, it made him think to fast, that was the purpose of the bolt to stop him from thinking to fast a sort of reset button if he came to far out of focus, he had to have twisted the thing a dozen times during the wait but their was noting he could do, their was nothing else he wanted to do. "Franken" he herd her say. Stien looked down at her with eyes of pity, "yes Eureal ?" he used the name that she hadn't herd in so long. "do we have work tomorrow?" "no go back to bed." he said closing his book. His suspicions had been confirmed.

"Memory loss? Like amnisa or what?" Stien shook his head"not exactly. A relapse. Her mined has restarted in a different time. More than likely her subconscious will fabricate a new reality, and a repressed persona has taken over." spirit squinted "what if she finds out the truth? What if Crona came home? Wouldn't that make some sort of paradox?" "the brain is an unpredictable machine spirit, our brains can lie, never doubt that." the door opened to Stien's room. Medusa poked head out, she looked at Stien and spirit for a moment, they looked back and no one said a word, it was a curios look on her face, like waking up after sleeping threw half a day and wondering why you weren't woken up. She took small steps to the kitchen table and pulled out a chair and sat next to Stien, she looked at them both wondering why they weren't saying anything. "good morning..is something wrong?" her voice was soft, not commanding and harsh like usual. spirit looked out the window "yeah something is totally messed up here." "oh? whats wrong?" "spirit and I were just debating a hypothesis I had come to last night" Medusa shrugged "oh well we all cant be as bright as you Franken." Stien looked at her and back at spirit giving him the "see? I told you." look. If spirit liked Medusa just a little bit more than he'd admit that he was a somewhat amused by her change in personality. "Erureal." Stien began "do you by chance know ware Crona may be?" " hmm well I believe she left on a trip somewhere, I think it was Europe? Iv been so covered in research the last few day it been hard for me to pay attention to anything. And then all that busines last night.." spirit shook his head "that's just uncanny.." Medusa laughed "you two are acting awfully strange. What are you up to?" Stien smiled "its nothing rely, were just making sure your okay after what happened is all." she didn't seem to understand, she felt on her abdomen with her had and ran in across the bandage "yes I'm fine, I just..cant for the life of me remember what happend." "its hard to say. You do have enemy's after all." Mary came into the kitchen she froze when she saw Medusa at the table "uh..huh.." she decided to just not ask question "Mary have have you seen my goody syringe kit? I'm afraid iv misplaced it." Mary shook her head "i see, your all acting weird today." she looked at Stien "well if it doesn't interfere with your little skeem I'm going to get to work." she pecked his cheek, she got up from the table and walked to the lab. She opend the door and found the light switch. She paused looking over the lab, the three onlookers in the kitchen watched curiously as she silently scanned the room, then she became still. "whats she doing?" spirit whisperd "her brain is working to further construct her reality. Putting all the pieces into place. Its going to happen until the lie is fool proof." "that's nuts." "nuts indeed spirit...nuts indeed.."

(the wilderness of Iceland, 3:00AM)

"its time to piss on the fire and call in the hounds" Dima said after drinking the last bit of coffee from his thermos "maybe it was a bear after all. A soul eating bear.." Maka tried to keep herself awake by staying close to the fire "no no we cant leav, we cant just go home we've come to far for that. The wilderness was dark, smoke was pulled like ribbons from the dieing fire "well kill this thing eventually, the damn thing is obviously a coward. It wont even fight a few mean looking children." "hey me and Maka have killed over three hundred Kishen, were not just mean looking children" "yeah yeah and I punched Genghis Khan in the balls, we can make up battle storys all night but the fact is that were waiting around for nothing." Crona was wide awake, her eyes hadn't seemed to have closed seance the sun went down, she herd the crunch of every twig all the animals moving around in the Forrest. "hey boy. You alright? Why haven't you spoken?" Crona slowly turned her head, she gazed at him with shrunken black eyes "its coming." Dima didn't understand, he raised an eyebrow "what?" their was a rustling in the woods, somthing moving then stopping every few feet, it hid uselessly it was like trying to be stealthy in a tank. The big clumsy foot steps got louder, everyone redyed themselves staring into the deep unconsoling wilderness. It came like a tornado ripping threw a trailer park, a speeding juggernaut ripped its way threw the tent, it knocked over a gas lantern sending its light bouncing around, Soul took scythe form and Maka took position, Crona swung out her nodachi, the heavy wide blade made a howl as it sliced threw the air, Storn took Dima in hand now in his wepon form. The three had the mass surrounded, it pulled the tent off of its frame and cast it aside. This was not a bear. What they had was a great northern troll, this specific breed was native to the land and were usually docile unless provoked, this one was different it had obviously sharpened its claws, its fur had been matted, clumped and looked unhealthy, most woodland trolls had beady white eyes and faces concealed by hair, it was close to a bear but a feral great troll could fight a bear and still have enough fight in it to take on three more.

Storn charged in onely to be smacked away by one of the trolls long massive arms. "he's got to much reach, I'm useless in this fight Storn, we have to let the kids handle it." Dima spoke to Storn in his native language. "take him out, and don't get to close!" Storn shouted trying to get to his feet. "your so furry...why aren't you fluffy Like a bunny? It isn't.." Crona twitched "it doesn't make seance!" she shouted and took a swing at the troll.

(back in the lab)

Stien watched her from across the room, he would pretend to work a sneak looks over to see what she was doing, she had a live live crocodile on the table, She study it for a moment and place a very small top-hat on its scaly head, "hmmmm..." she wrote something on the clip bored and tossed away the top-hat. 'not a lot of Medusa like activity. Though she still appears to have an affinity for reptiles...' he set some test tubes aside "any plans tonight Eureal?" "plans? Stien you know my life revolves round work. Ill just be here." she picked the alligator up around its stumac and carryd it like it was a puppy, she sat it in a cage and it curled up under a heat lamp. "Besides seance what happened I probably shouldn't be out and about." "yes. Are you alright?" she smiled "yes Franken I'm quite fine thanks to you." Stien went around the lab table "tell me again. What exactly happened to you?" she sat in one of Stine,s rolling chairs. "the last thing I remember is talking to my sister. It had been a long time. It wasn't a good conversation ether." "so I'm going to say it was Curnel Mustard in the parlor with the candle stick.." Stien scratched his chin wile using his top natch bored game based crime solving ability's "no Stien you fool..it was Araknia." "do you remember what the conversation was about?" Medusa thought "she said that she wanted something. I'm not sure what though. Dose that make any seance to you?" "no.. I don't know" that was a lie, Stien had a good idea what happened, but he wasn't going to tell her. Now that he had a taist of what she was like before, he couldn't let her know about that life.

(back in Iceland)

the beast had been warn down after a brawl that lasted nearly fifteen minuts and yet the troll still hung on. "I'm going to make a final blow so stay outa-my way!" make shouted, she rushed the beast and craned her soul eater around "soul resonance! Jinni hunter!" the scythe glowed a glassy green and grew longer than usual in a elongated triangular for "no n- no that's not right!" she was caught off guard by the unusual blade, the blade cut down several trees near the troll but didn't even touch it. The troll took its opportunity to charge Maka, I roared and stabbed its gruesome claws threw her gut. "Maka!" soul shouted As the beast tossed them into a tree, it paused for a moment a contorted in sudden agony, its chest jutted forward as Crona's blade inmpaled the it frome behind "brutal harakiri! execution!" she sliced threw its chest cavity with terrifying eases like a hot knife threw butter all at an amazing speed. she formed a triangular patern ending by forcing the blade up and to the left ripping threw the collar bone and out of the body of the now mangled troll. The twisted expression on her face spatted with thick red blood "what do you know..it isn't black like mine..." she sliced the blade threw the air slinging the blood off the blade and placed it gently in the sheath, she suddenly pulled herself back to reality "Maka!" she shouted frightened what may have happened. "its okay, I'm fine" soul helped her walk with his arm draped over her shoulders, she removed her hand from her gut, small black scab like tissue began to form over the wounds "did you kill that thing?" soul asked a little surprised. "yeah my first kishen." Crona couldn't help but feel a little proud of herself "you can have it soul I'm just glad Maka okay.." she started bighting her finger nails. "how generous of you." soul rubbed his hands thinking abut the succulent soul that now huverd about ware the troll once lay, "I knew having you as a partner would pay off." Maka pulled him back "soul you pig, she slew that thing its hers." "why would she eat it? Shes not a weapon." Maka shook her head in disapproval, ad looked up at Crona "go ahead, well catch the next one." Crona nodded "gosh its been so long.." she plucked it off the ground "i forgot what it all felt like. But I didn't forget how to do it.." she held it in her hand "well eat up if your going to its getting cold." soul scowled at her, "but how do I eat it don't I at least need two slices of bread?" soul put his face to his palm "its not a sandwich, just swallow it!" she try to open her jaws as wide as possible and held the shimmering green orb in front of her and then pulled it away. "never mind..I'm- I'm just going to let him have it." she took the odachi from the sheath and crammed it into the sheath and put the sword back in. "seance were one, it doesn't matter who devours the soul. He can still become one of lord Deaths weapons." "speaking of Death Scythes. What was that thumb of god move that you pulled Maka."

Maka tilted her head "it was just like the incident with the jinni hunter technique, that's what I try'd to do but it came out all wrong." Storn sat back with Dima watching them from the camp fire after extinguishing the flames that sprouted from the over turned gas lantern. "look at them, Better in a fight than us when we were at their age." they stared into the dieing fire "I think their probably better than us right now."

(from the journal of Franken Stien)

what do I do with this women? Shes in my home, a ghost of my past that turned out to be the enemy of today and the mother of my chilled. She is not only going to create a stir in Crona's anxiety but she is also an enemy of the city. The presence of her sister will inevitably be problematic for us all. Is reefer legal in the state of Nevada yet? I most likely will need to acquire and ample supply by the time this mess has been sorted. And yet it feels good to have her back, Medusa is still herself, still cold, but for me she always has a smile, ruthless is she with her scientific pursuit her drive and ingenuity can only be matched by my own. Gone are the insults and her desire to make others feel worthless for her own short comings, ware has this side of her been? Why did she suppress it all for so long and why did her brain damage cause this sort of effect? Answering these questions may lead me to an inconvenient truth.

ultimately her fate lies with our daughter.

(and now 11 questions for Medusa...)

whats your favorite move?

Medusa: Snakes on a plane.

Who inspired you to be an evil villan?

Medusa: Cobra commander.

whats your favorite band?

Medusa: White Snake.

And your favorite song?

Medusa: Duran Duran's "Legan of the Snake"

your favorite video game?

Medusa: Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater.

has their ever been a car you dreamed of owning?

Medusa: hmmmm yes... a Viper.

Can you tell us about your father?

Medusa: I would but some would say hes a snake in the grass.

Whats your favorite household tool?

Medusa: a snake light.

Ever have a job before you were a witch?

Medusa: yes I was a plumber, I used to snake drains.

Whose your favorite comedian?

Medusa: well I'm rather amused by Monty Python.

You seem to know a lot about martel arts, what dojo did you study in?

Medusa: cobra kie.


	15. Extra chapter: Live

(several months ago..)

Death City has its own black market

you can buy anything from the latest stolen military tech to necromantic paraphernalia, if you have the money the people there have your disease in ample supply, you can get pure uncut columbine cocain and then find a soviet surplus flux-compositor for a bargain. Spirit wasn't all to excited to be hear, it was the last thing he needed at the moment, his friend Sid had died erlyr that week in a training accident, His daughter had stopped speaking to him and his now X-wife was out of his life, the only thing keeping him together was his friend Stien. But Stien was the resin he had come there in the first place. Stien called him frantic that morning and needed spirits help with something urgently "we don't have much time spirit. You have to help now. Its very important." spirit showed up to Stien's laboratory, Stien opend the door and shoved a list into spirits chest along with an envelope full of hundred dollar bills and shut the door without saying a word. Rude I know but you see he dose this stuff all the time, its quite typical of him to be short with people wile he's doing his best style of work, his first set of instructions were to "enter the black market, find a small bag of Zombie powder", it was underlined and written in red ink so it was probably of the upmost importants. Spirit had herd of the stuff, kind of a voodoo type thing, some south African witch doctors use it for rituals, they say it can bring a man back from the dead, spirit found a small set up were some guy he recognized was selling the powder in little bags. The guy faked a Jamaican accent and advertised being able to interpret dreams, "You need something bro?" "i need some zombie powder...you have any of that?" the guy looked at spirit "Ya ya...Just hang loos.." he went to a big pile of boxes, the pile was staked high with strange animals in cages and incomprehensible magical ins and outs and weapons, he dug around and after about three or four minutes the guy came. "last bag, you lucky man." he layed a sandwich bag full of white powder on the table. "Thanks" spirit took it in hand. "Your probably going to need these..." the man put a box of twelve gauge shotgun shells on the table, his expression flat and stoic. "N- no thinks I don't own one of those.." "You are very unprepared for your situation friend..." spirit looked at the man and considered just taking the shells just encase he was right "Just..how much do I owe you for the powder?"

(the day of Sid's death)

The NOT EAT class had an unfortunate brush with death. Sid was the physical education teacher, that day he was carrying out a combat effectiveness test, he had fought most of the students and he would compile their grades. If they got a high enough score from the rest of their classes the next semester they would be moved up to the EAT class. He was down to three students and the next in line was one Micky Mantle, A student whom used thrown weapons although he preferred random blunt objects which he stowed in a magic sort of haversack, he never seemed to run out of random stuff tho throw. Sid was quick to make the first move, trying to move to fast for Micky to think but he was quick to evade Sid's onslaught, he countered Sid with a wave of household appliances, toasters, egg times, pencil sharpeners, just random junk that he could hurl at a speed of 90mph, Sid dodged it all with no problem, Micky needed something big and heavy if he was going to put a man like Sid to the ground, he reached into the bag and pulled out a big heavy lead Novelty statue of the statue of liberty. The thing had to weigh a solid 15 pounds. But Sid grew to near too quickly, Micky tossed the statue straight up in the air and Sid didn't pay attention. As he made a swoop at Micky the statue came down. It contacted Sid's Skull and made the unmistakable noise of breaking bone. He dropped like a stone.

"Is he dead?" one of the students asked, Sid wasn't moving and a bit of blood puddled around his head, lady liberty had made her home, sticking out from his forehead. The police showed up after one of the student told the faculty what happened. Micky was black listed and was only allowed back a few months later. Nygus was hysterical, she was inconsolable loosing her partner whom she had a feelings for , it was to much to bare. Stien couldn't let it go, he felt he had to do something, he pondered for days locking himself in his lab. Spirit had to substitute for him during those days, and then spirit got the call

(In the lab of professor Franken Stien.)

Stien had been awake for three days now. Powered by prescription anti-narcolepsy amphetamine pills, the skeysest of tweekers would be slugging along at this point but not Stien, he felt incredible. He constantly turned the bolt in his head as it worked like a clock work machine, everything was so clear he swore that when he shut his eyes he could see the skin cells on the back of eyelids.

"muscle tissue is still intackt."

"The heart. The heart...the heaaaaart...jam a tesla coil in it aaaaaand."

click click click click click click click click click.

"No..no no this isn't a cartoon Stien..."

Sid's lifeless body lay on the slab. It took Stien a couple of hours to dig him up. Luckily the decay hadn't set in, his skin was only slightly gray and rigormortis had set in making the body harder to work with. He paced back and forth getting things ready and working out the final loos ends in what would be his greatest achievement. "Franky?" spirit let himself into Stien's house with his spare key "Igor do you have the final components?!" Stien shouted from across the lab " Who's Igor-" he stopped himself and stared at Sid's corpse "Franken Stien you silly German bastard what have you done?!" he was in disbelief that his friend would desecrate the- yeah no actually he wasn't surprised one bit by that, but it is the principle that Stien would dig up one of his own friends that made spirit sick. "Yo- you dug him up? You were at his funeral you comforted and consoled Nygus how could you do something like this?!" "Don't you see spirit? We can have him back." he said marching up to spirit and used vivid hand gestures. "Your crazy!" "You know you love it!" spirit backed away ready to storm out. "his soul is still in there! That chiled wasn't a strong enogh meister and the soul was never harvested, if I can start back his body we can have Sid BACK!" "A zombie? So what happens when he try's to eat us? Is this why the guy at the black market insisted on selling me a gun?" "One that I'm sure had the serial number scratched off. But no, theirs a fine line between Undead and Zombie, all the horror movies we've watched and you still don't understand that." spirit waved that thought away "Don't try and distract me. Is this why you sent me to an underground market or not?" "Yes now ware are the supplys?" "You'll get them when you promise this isn't going to get any more out of hand." "I cant promise anything like that." "Then you better put him back in the ground you lunatic." spirit turned on his heals "Wait!" spirit stopped against his better judgment "If anything goes wrong ill FIX it." "Fine..if my brains end up eaten your telling Maka."

Stien had a fluid pump used in morgues to pump fluids out of dead body's, He modifyd its functionality and now it would pump fluids back into a body. He placed the needles into his main line and began to pump the new blood spirit had acquired in the underground market. He flipped it on and it began to churn, spirit went out to take a leak, it was by chance that he caught sight of the headlights of the cars that pulled into steins driveway "Hay Frank? You expecting visitors?" "No I don't get visitors. Why?" he yelled from the lab. Spirit watched the men get out of their cars, the rain beat down on them but their stern faces showed threw. "Stien these guys look like the mean business!" he hid himself behind the wall and looked out the window so he would not be seen, the men were all armed, pistols and shot guns, someone had a Kalashnikov. "Stien they have guns!" spirit didn't hear anything from the professor for a moment "Hold on!..." he yelled back.

(outside)

"Go around back so they don't get away." the man with the shotgun barked, two of the men did as he said. "We cant let this go on any longer. We'v tolerated his experiments this far but grave robing is ware we draw the line!" he pounded his fist on the door "Get out hear Stien!" he pounded even more. "Open the damn door!" above them a window on the second story opend, no one appeard to be at the window but suddenly something was thrown from the window. It hit the ground and bounced off the ground a couple of times with a few metallic clanks. One of the men came near, it was a a can of some sort, smoke began to waft from the top. "Gas!" they scattered, the man with the shotgun kicked down the door "Get in! Don't let him escape!. Stien had barricaded himself the lab trying to finish the proses of bringing Sid to life. The men ran past his lab and up the stairs, spirit was waiting upstairs, he pushed a scythe blade out of his palm, a gun barrel poked around the corner, spirit sliced it in half and grabbed the fore stock of rifle and yanked it from the young mans hands and clocked him in the head with the back end, another pointed his pistol at him from a couple of feet, spirit used the scythe blade to cut the belt around his trousers, as his pants fell to the ground he pushed the man down the stairs sending him crashing into the man with the shotgun who had begun to storm up the stairs. Spirit pushed down the stairs past the battered and bruised men and slipped into the kitchen. A bullet whizzed by and a glass bottle across the room shattered, spirit hid behind a wall, he quickly grabbed a trash bag and threw it into the room and to the left, the man who had fired the at him was distracted the trash bag, spirit made a power slide across the kitchen floor and punched the man in the stomace and fallowed up with an uppercut, the man fell into the table and an avalanche of junk from the table fell on top of him. "GET ON THE GROUND!" some guy with a redneck southern accent shouted pointing his rifel. He shrieked in pain as something pounded him on the back of the head, Sid stood behind him as he fell to the ground, he cracked his knukels. "Its a good day to be alive." he said with a grin. Their was a loud bang and he stumbled forward. He stood straight and turned around to face the now terrifyd man who had just shot him in the back. Sid grabbed the man around the dome of his head with one of his large hands and plucked him off the ground, he shook him around until he dropped his rifel then tossed him out the window with little effort. "Your lucky I feel sorry for ignorant fools like you. That's just the kind of man I was." his thumb fell off his hand with a thud. "Damn."

"It worked! Ha ha!" Stien marched threw the chaos of his home in triumph. "I. AM. BACK!"

Spirit didn't believe it, Sid had been dead for four days, he knew Stien was a genius but this he was sure had never been done before. "It didn't even effect his mental health!" "that's because I eat my greens." Sid said mater-of-factually. "Sid...h- how yu feeling." spirit had a hard time speaking to the close friend whom he thought was gone forever. "I feel stiff." he picked his thumb off the ground. "Also this is going to be a problem.." the men who invaded the lab had all vacated and were limping back to their cars in defeat, their was no way they could fight spirit, Stien and this living dead man. Stien eyed the thumb. "As I suspected. I had to speed up the process so your body still needs time to adjust and fully resurrect. I recommend you stay hear for a few days until then."

(present day..)

Sid was on his way to the DWMA, after all these months everyone seemed to have gotten used to his condition, today he stopped into a corner store to grab a one of their made from scratch sausage biscuits, a rather unhealthy choice for a physical education teacher if you ask me. He didn't pay attention to the cashier as he walked in and acquired all of his breakfast items. He waited in line still not paying attention he just passed the time looking at all the gum on display at the counter. He set his things on the counter and looked into the face of the cashier. It was the shotgun guy, terrifyd looking up at Sid to scared to speak. Sid smirked and put a five dollar bill on the counter, he took his purchase and left.


	16. Out of Time

(WARNING : BOOK ONE ENDING)

It was a few hours after they all returned if our collective memory serves correctly, Crona had left for home and Maka settled into a book, soul more than likely playing Team Fortress, the time was six o clock and the dusk concealed the apartment complex in its shade, a knock on the door, subtle but quick, they knew there visitor by that knock, the knock of someone afraid to disturb anyone, reluctant to be a bother. "whats she doin back?" soul didn't look up from his screen, Maka shrugged "i don't know I haven't even talked to her seance she left." of cores it was who they thought, Crona stud across the hall with a suitcase at her feet. "Crona? Is everything okay?" she looked up and shook her head "can I come inside?" " yes pleas come in." Maka opened the door wide, Crona shuffled in. she took a seat on the coutch pressing her knees to her chest. Soul looked at her from the corners of his eyes then at the suitcase and then to Maka, he shook his head, she looked at him and cracked her knuckles, he let out a sigh. "i- I just...is it okay if I...uhm.." "just sound it out Crona" he said still not bothering to break focus from his game. "can I just stay here..for a few days?" Maka's face lit up but soul seemed indifferent if not annoyed at all the distractions. "your welcome any time, but why? Is something up?" "i cant say. Its just better that I stay away from the lab for a wile."

(meanwhile)

Stein stepped out for a wile and Mary went on a date with Joe that would more than likely end in disappointment leaving Medusa alone at the lab, she sat watching a documentry, wile the past two days she lived in peace there had been a growing feeling, the feeling as though she had forgotten something, did she leave the oven on? Did she forget to feed the lab specimens? Something that nagged at her subconscious at the strangest of moments, whatever it was it probly wassent important. Out of the window she saw something move just before she could see what it was, she got up from the couch and went to the front door and opened it, a girl stood beside the window in between the front door, Medusa began to shake at the sight of her white hair, her pointed hat and polka-dot dress. "Medusa your alive!" her eyes lit up, Medusa said nothing "Im- afraid you have me mistaken. Are you one of Crona's friends or something?" Erika came closer "no Medusa you have to remember." she put her hand on Medusa's arm "Erika take your damn hands off of me." she scouled, her eyes shot wide open, stumbling back she covered her mouth with her palm as a sudden rush of endorphins rushed threw her brain with a wave of scattered memory's. "yes! see You remember!" "do you have any idea what you've done?" Erika didn't know what to say, she thought that she had done well to help her, "Araknia's at the castle and shes gone crazy! You have to stop her!" Medusa shook her head "no, that's not who I am anymore." "but your the grand witch!" "no Im not, that titles up for grabs I'm done, it was better off that I forgot all those things." "but.. what am I supposed to do?" Medusa shrugged "i don't know your free now, I free you of your service, now bugger off." Erika's eyes began to water, Medusa put her palm to her face and sighed "god damn you Erika." "pleas you and free are all I have." she cursed herself for having compassion. "just..wipe your feet and come in."

(back at Maka's apartment)

"the technique was called beast hunter, the one I accidentally used wile fighting the troll, its a long range attack, its powerful but its a real wiled card, its hard to control because of how off balanced it it is, ill have to work real hard to master it." Maka closed her Scythe Meisters Pocket Hand Guide (the same book used for her Maka chop) it took a wile but in that dated leather bound book she found the exact technique, her mother knew it as well and rumor has it even she had trouble using it effectively. "What I'm rely interested in is what you did, Storn said it was pretty crazy." Crona rubbed her head "he was such a nice guy, I hope I didn't look like a psycho.." she continued polishing her blade "i don't remember much, I wasn't all there, hmm..i mean I wasn't over hear..but I wasn't there ether. Do you know what I mean?" Maka looked at her sideways for a moment "uh..sure." "i don't think I knew what I was doing, I was in the moment and that's what happened. 'Brutal Harakiri. Harakiri means 'cutting of the stomace' its like sepuku used in rural japan as a word for ritualistic suicide or execution." Maka became uneasy "that's rely dark..." "i fully agree with you. But I think it was purely situational, I thought you were hurt, for meisters with regular weapons techniques are often emotional based. If that makes any seance." "so then you don't have to learn them?" Crona shook her head "not necessary, If ever want to use them when I want rather than by accident then I will need to practice them like any other meister." Maka nodded "then before we go for our next mission we'll head out to the training grounds and see what we can do."

(back at the lab)

"you need a fake name, you need to cut your hair and make sure no one will recognize you, come up with a back story, your not Erika Frog anymore, you can never use your powers, if you do all that

you wont be discovered, next you'l need income and a place to stay, now seeing as the DWMA is a perfect little socialist utopia it wont be hard for you to find housing as long as your a student, its free to stay in the dorms. And you should be able to urn income doing odd-jobs for the school. Keep a low profile, no fights don't get arrested or do anything stupid. And I guise..you can come to me if you need something." Erika didn't see her life taking this dramatic change. She was a witch and now she had to suddenly make friends with people she had been raised to fight. "i don't like this.." "then you can go back and live with my sister. Its not going to be fun no matter what you choose to do."

Erika looked out the window at Death City "okay.." "you can hide out in Crona's room for tonight. Shes not hear and wont for a wile. In the morning ill sneak you out and you can enroll at the DWMA, but you need to do everything iv told you, and if you get caught I don't know you and you don't know me. Understand?" Erika slowly nodded "good, now..your no longer my servant." "so.." Medusa looked at her blankly from across the room "i guise were..friends, or whatever.." Erika made a wide grin at her "don't look at me like that."

(on top of the water tower outside of town)

"we'll there it is Stien, Death City, the end of the fucken universe, I love it don't you?" Stien nodded silently overlooking the city, its endless maze of lantern lit cobblestone streets and neon signs cast a glow into the night sky, "you know this place, its unending, it lures you in and promises you'll never have any problems ever again, then it gets ahold of a couple of suckers like you and me, we love the city and we give and give all along knowing that promise was a lie. Yet here we are, we still serve its people every day, and you know somethin? I don't even care. This city it loves us, people like us, we have a place to belong, yet only meisters are permitted to live hear, and you know iv been thicken about how messed up that is." Stien didn't say anything, he walked up next to spirit "ware would it all be ten years from now if we let some Mechanist in here? If we had a few witches around?" he took a breath of the night air "the place is perfect for us, but theirs still so much work to be done, we only scratched the surface," Stien dug for a pack of cigarets, he offered one to spirit "nah, Im quiten." "whats up with you today?" "positivity never hurts, shits guna hit the fan some day soon so we need to have the best outlook we can." "they say hope is the lazy way out of responsibility, I think if we work hard enough we'll have less to worry about." "you think so?" "probably not. There's always going to be something reddy to kill us, that's how this place works, that's the price of living hear." he started to stick a cigaret in his mouth but stopped himself "come to think of it I don't need one more thing trying to kill me." he put it back into the pack and tossed it over the ledge of the water tower.

NOTE: okay, This one was short I know, but I thought this would be a nice note to end the first act of the story on, the main story will be back after a wile when I figure out what Im going to do, until then you guys get to enjoy a tsunami of extras, filler and fluff. As always I'm open for comments and questions, Im here all the time so ill probably respond quickly. Anyway ill give y'all a heads up when everything is well done and the alarm bells ring.

Ill talk at yu real soon.

Dan.


	17. Extra chapter: Rock It

(In a rural corner of the Ukraine)

"Ioviet lifestyle was harsh but it was habitable, not the worst thing this country has wet herd, but we are the bred basket of Europe you know, so we always have that." she man in the front seat driving the busted up hatchback down the dirt road "but I'm afraid to say that something is quite wrong here, especially in the last few weeks. That's why we called." Maka listened intently to the man, he was in his fiftys, Victor was a Mechanist who studyd his art in the Chezck republic, he could connect to almost any machine on earth and use it effectively of tell what was wrong with it and repair it, even now his connection with the obscure model of jeep was nothing short of the perfect bond between man and machine. "you see our crops have been dieing, we've tryd everything, heartier breeds of wheat, environmentally safe pesticides, advancing the irrigation systems and watering periods but nothing is working, not only this but many of our people have been catching the plague. Can you believe it? plague! Of course there have been no deaths, this isn't the dark ages we have medicines for these things, but people keep getting sick and its starting to take it's tole with so many of out men and women bed ridden. You cant keep a village like that! We'll all have to move to the city if something isn't done! That's why we called you three here." soul had lost reception on his smart phones 4G so his only choice was to listen to the man. "I think you should probably just call the EPA or something.." "If only it were so simple. See that's you kids these days, think you can put your duty on someone else." "You could try bathing you old coot maybe tthatl help the plague. "bah! A typical response.." Maka had to step in " I'm sorry about soul hes a little quick to speech. What do you think is the matter?" "ha! See boy? You should be more like your friend, there was a time when people your age listened then spoke." "yeah yeah..." soul looked out the window to a herd of sheep raising in a mostly dead meadow. "i think what has happened is the wrath of a god.." Crona began a slight nervous chattering. "That is what I think anyway.. I hear your people specalise in this sort of thing. We don't have many meisters out this way and we hear your association is the best." "Well you herd right, ad were the best of the best." Maka sad with a hand on Crona's shoulder "I like your enthusiasm!" he looked in his rear view mirror at Crona who appeard to be having a small scale panic attack "Is your friend alright? He seems a bit giddy.." "Shes fine this happens all the time." "She? what the fuck?.." he muttered in his native language. he looked back at Crona in the rear view mirror "Sorry about that miss." she made nervous smile "N- no problem."

They scoured the small village for a few hours, They would knock on doors and explain who they were any that they were their to help. But as with any small rural community it was hard for the residence to open up to three strangers, strangers with badges and one with a weapon and ghastly disposition, they even had Crona hide in some bushes so people might talk but it was of no use, people would shake there heads and say they knew nothing, they may have, but someone had to know something. In these community's its a "see something say something" type of familiarity amongst the population and so far there wasn't any "say something" to that equation. Their came at last one man who spoke sheepishly in broken English of a strange occurrence, Victor had translated for the interview.

(Crona wrote down the interview for later review)

Maka: "I assume you've personally been effected by all of this (she refers to his children visibly Ill in the other room)

victor: (translatig for the man) Yes it has been terrible, Iv barely been able to work myself, I hope you've had some sort of vaccine, I hear you have those sorts of things in the west."

Maka: (nods) We'll all be fine, even all of you if we find out whats wrong, now can you tell us what you may have seen?

(The man seems shaken in the remembrance of the event.)

Victor: I have been scared by all this local talk of angry gods. I am a superstitious person you see. At one point or another I had just accepted that this was all natural that eventually it would all sort its self out you know, like it has in the past.

(He and victor talk for a moment and then the man contentious)

Victor: It was late in the evening, I was tending something in the field.)

(The man stops speaking for a moment, he lowly says something to victor.)

Victor: He needs a moment.

(After a wile the man gathers his thoughts and starts to speak again)

Victor: something flew over me. Its was large,

(He gestures with his hands a very long length)

Victor: That time I only saw the shadow. And then again. The third time it passed I looked up.

(The man shakes his head, he beguines to rock in his chair)

victor: It had bat wings. (the man exclaimed but victor calmly repeated) it had an eight foot wing span.

Big legs like a horse but with talons.

(We all listen in deep curiosity as he speaks louder and becomes more shaken)

Victor: It swooped at men, its face was like a mix of a bat and an ape. As it flew away into the hells I just saw the crops dieing around me.

(He begins to sob, soon the who we suspect to be his wife asks us to leave.)

(later)

It took some convincing but most of the local farmers were okay with the kids taking a look around the fields and farms for anything out of the ordinary. It was mid day when in a barn loft they found some solid evidence. Legit occult symbols and hieroglyphic language that had been scrawled on a hidden wall, these were not pentagrams and dinky shit you expect from some misbehaved Gothic hoods, this was some real "witchy business". Crona had seen symbols like these in one of her mothers books, that of the accursed book of the Necronomicon, you know the kind of witch they were dealing with, crazy scrawlings all over the wall, deep carvings of macabre letters in long forgotten languages, probably the same kind to be doing "the soy sauce" (a rare drug for ritual use utiliseing small doses of black blood) the perpetrator was long gone and they couldn't waist their time with a witch hunt, they now needed to know what they were dealing with. In the center of the scrawlings on the wall there was a hand drawn mural, the mural was a surprisingly well drawn image of a queer looking beast and shockingly close to what the farmer in the village had described. A face mixed between a bat and an ape with the body of something resembling a man, its hands were terrible talons one hand reaching toward the sky and one pointing to the ground. Wings of a bat spread out behind, Its lower body was obscured in the mural but more than likely it was a the farmer described. Its would have been obvious to any DWMA student who had taken Demonology 101 that this was the god of the northeastern wind its self, his or it's name was Pazuzu the god of sickness and famine, a demon god (a devil I suppose you could say) that wile often protected its fallowers from the other more gruesome demons he would lash out violently if he were not appeased or payed proper homage, he would destroy crops, bring sickness and misery and terrorize the innocent. Now the young students had their man.

(Sunset)

It is well documented that demons raised in hell hate music with a passion. The sounds of screaming and jet blasting fire is the music to there ears, and so what we listen to will make them violently ill, uplifting music like that of Led Zeppelin or Def Lepard and AC/DC may enrage them and they will seek out there musical offender. For this resin a radio with a wide verity of rock and roll music and power metal are standard equipment for meisters. As the sun set over the Ukraine the group made there way to the middle of a field prepared for the worst. Soul placed the radio on top of a bolder siting in the middle of the field, he turned the volume knob as far up as he could and tore off the knob, he placed in a casset, he flipped the power switch sending the blaring music over the surrounding hills, Elton Johns "Saturday Nights Alright" was both a song that could group resonate souls for combat efficiency and piss off any demon within ear shot. for the fist moment their was nothing, slowly a beating sound could be herd over the music, a loud thud or flapping noise. A large mass flew over the tree line flying fast, it let out a load roar as it tore the the sky toward the kids, as it look like it would crash into the ground at their feet it rared back on its wings and landed heavily on the bolder, it stood up coming to a full ten feet tall. "Why have you summond me profligates?" it spoke in a deep voice in a tongue none of them had ever herd but for some resin could understand perfectly. "you do not belong in my domain, turn back or your lives are mine." Maka stood challengingly "what is your name demon?" she asked sternly, to ask a demon its name is almost a challenge the throwing down of a gauntlet if the demon were to reply it would be an acceptance of the challenge. "I am Pazuzu lord of the northeastern wind, of sickness and famine, life and death!" it bellowed with pride. Crona stood watching from the ground, her body trembling not with fear but with some strange anticipation of a battle. Her hand wrapped tightly around the hilt of the great sword, she took the case and slid the blade out letting the scabbard rest on her back held in place by a sling. Unfortunately Maka and soul would be next to useless in this fight, wile the two had range her attacks did not have enough area of effect and a long blade of a great sword. An enemy with the power of flight would be more than a handful. It lunged off the rock at Crona who blocked is strike with the side of her blade.

(A few miles a way)

Victor had seen the beast fly over head as he drove down the dusty road. He was frightened at first but knew that he had a duty to uphold. He put the gas peddle to the floor and sped down the dirt road. Soon he came to a barn and parked at its side, her pulled open the massive barn doors to face the giant mass behind them. Something large under and olive green canvas tarp that he had kept under wraps for quite some time one taking it out on some weekends. He pulled the tarps away revealing a very large helicopter. Not just a normal helicopter this was a former Soviet Mil Mi-24 attack helicopter, one day wile wrestling bears and drinking vodka a soviet ingenuear asked himself how he could make a tank fly, the Mil Mi-24 was the stone faced bare chested answer. And how did Victor come across such a magnificent piece of military hardware? If anyone asks he barrowd it..

(Back in the field)

the fight was still going and the gang became the beast flew over and grabbed Crona in its talons squeezing them into her flesh it flew around and flung her at Maka who had erlyr struck a blow on its back. He flew around them mockingly. "Are you okay?" Maka helped Crona to her feet "I'm fine. We cant even get close to him like this..." they watched him as he came in for a swoop and narrowly avoided being snatched up. "Maka. Do you think you can fling me at him?"

(Back at the barn)

victor and eased the chopper out on its landing gear, he loaded the 23mm rockets into there pods and a full then yards of belt link ca.50 ammunition, he knocked the dust off of his gauges and indicators he put on his helmet, putting his hands on the on the controls he again connected with the heart of the machine, he hovered of the ground and retracted the landing gear for flight. He took it over many fields scanning the horizon for the flying beast and as he began to give up he saw it circling a bolder over a dead wheat field, there were dots below it that resembled people, he look in aw as one of the people used a long rod like object to hurl another into the air.

Crona had gotten a running start when she saw the Pazuzu lining up for another swoop, right as he angled to dive bake activated witch hunter and batted Crona with the blunt of the scythe sending her into the air like an ninety pound canon ball, pazuzu had no time to react thus being harpooned by her blade, the critical blow made his wings sputtered loosing altitude he almost crashed, Crona fell a good six feet skidding on the ground. Pazuzu began to retreat but victor gave chance flying low and fast of Maka and soul. "whats that thing doing here?!" soul shouted. In the helicopter the victor closed in on Pazuzu as, the beast why dieing from blood loss but victor couldn't let it get away, the viser on his helmet indicated that his targeting system had locked, he flipped the safety switch and fired, a cluster of missiles flew from their compartment, two of the three missiles made contact sending there white hot kinetic payload threw the beasts body. It was over. Pazuzu made a death spiral to the ground making contact his wings crumpling lifeless.

After circling over head making victory laps victor landed near Pazuzu as his body disintigrated. Unfortunately this is not a cartoon, the crops did not return to normal, their would still be sick people in the village but maybe next year things would be brighter. Pazuzu bountyd a large demon soul which Soul devoured with respects to Victor whom slayed the beast with his flying tank. "I think you've lerned a lessen" he said climbing into the chopper he smiled over his shoulder. "You should have respect for your elders."


	18. Would You Be Impressed?

Gorgons and Hydras, and Chimaeras - dire stories of Celaeno and the Harpies - may reproduce themselves in the brain of superstition - but they were there before. They are transcripts, types - the archtypes are in us, and eternal. How else should the recital of that which we know in a waking sense to be false come to affect us all? Is it that we naturally conceive terror from such objects, considered in their capacity of being able to inflict upon us bodily injury? O, least of all! _These terrors are of older standing. They date beyond body_ - or without the body, they would have been the same... That the kind of fear here treated is purely spiritual - that it is strong in proportion as it is objectless on earth, that it predominates in the period of our sinless infancy - are difficulties the solution of which might afford some probable insight into our ante-mundane condition, and a peep at least into the shadowland of pre-existence. - Charles Lamb: _Witches and Other Night-Fears_

(a month after the last chapter)

"next." Erika moved along in line, it had been thirty minutes seance she finished her entry exam at the DWMA, she was already well versed in all knowledge of paranormal and matters of the soul, she was a witch after all and they are more intelligent in the subject than any normal meister, she aced the written exam scoring ninety eight percent, almost unheard of if it weren't for the likes of Ox Ford and Havar. Her combat however was a little to be desired threw no fault of her own, you cant just be a magic user your entire life and pick up a weapon and expect to be just as skilled, Sid gave her a taset of what to expect as a meister but, despite having a lot to learn he gave her a pass because that's just the kind of man he was. And so she had an instant enrollment in the Eat class, it would have never happened if Lord Death didn't need more skilled child solders to fight his unretractible stalemate of a war with the witches. "next" she saw the kid in front of her step behind the curtan, After she herd some talking a bright flash came from behind it, more talking and soon the kid walked out with a bundle of papers and walked off, "next.". Nygus hated this part of her job, student enrollment was probably the most boring job at the academy she could think of, but she loved the young people coming to make the most of themselves so she toughed it out for the day, "hi can I have your name please?" she nodded "Er- Emily Froger" in any other place an unuseal name like that would draw attention but int a place like Death City it was perfect. "Okay...you filled out your clipboard?" Erika nodded and handed it to her, Nygus put it threw a scanner, "okay step over to the far wall and don't blink, you can smile but don't show your teeth." Erika did as she said, she was sure that she blinked after the the cameras flash went off but Nygus didn't say anything. After Nygus clicked around on her monitor a machine began to print on a thick sheet of folding plastic material, it slid out of the machine and Nygus grabbed it and began to fan it threw the air to dry the ink, "so your one of the smart kids huh, get to skip right on ahead?" Erika smiled and nodded "yeah we need more kids like you." that made Erika feel a bit better about what she was doing. Nygus folded the plastic sheet into three sections, "these are your credentials, if you don't have an ID this will temporary serve as one, carry it around so staff will know your a student and ware you belong, class schedules are outside or on our website (yes the DWMA has a website), if you have any problems pleas contact staff and we will ignore it immediately (that bit she made up) my name is Nygus and I do just about everything around hear because were terribly understaffed so I'm sure ill see you around, stay safe and have a great school year." she smiled under her mask "thanks." Erika made her way to the front of the school ' I miss the cold hearted staff at the castle..'

(meanwhile at the DWMA gym)

"id first like to make acknowledgments to how beautiful I am.." Ox ford began his sure to be long winded blowhard speech, 'I cant believe it!' soul stood in the corner of the room sulking, looking up at Ox and Havar in their smugness, Maka didn't like it ether but she tried to be happy for her fellow students. A couple of days earlier Ox and Havar were lucky enough to collect the last regular soul and the witches soul they needed to reach their gole, now Havar had Death scythe status and havar was now a level three meister and would more than likely be put to work right away. And it was all before Maka, soul and Crona, it wouldn't have been so bad if Ox wasn't such a dick about it, he's not a bad guy to tell the truth but any opportunity like this he would turn into a show. "and that is the story of the epic battle that took place that day! It all happened, even the part were Havar punched the grand witch in the face! True no one else was around to see it but trust us it all actually happened!" the thing is all that was required of the two was to make a final presentation of what they learned and the academy and how they think it will effect their lives. Dear Crona was only concerned that one day she would have to come up with something to say in front of such a large crowd of people but surely shed be able to deal with it by the time they collected their gole.

(The next day)

Crona had to come in late due to a doctors appointment, she came in quietly and handed her father her note and went to her desk, smiled at Maka and began work, there was a new girl next to her she didn't pay attention to her, "oh no.." Crona muttered under her breath. She turned to the girl "do you have a pen?" she asked, the girl looked up and froze, "Crona..hey.." Erika whispered, even with her disguise Crona grew up with Erika so there was no hiding from her, she passed Crona a pen "we'll talk later just stay-" "hay." Stien eyed them from the front of the class "back to work." they glanced at each outher and went back to there work, they sat there for two hours holding back all the questions, Crona often refer'd to her current condition as the "exploding feeling". 'is she hear to spy on me? Assassinate me? Bring me back to the grand witch? What ever it is it can't be good, no good at all..' Soon the bell rang time for lunch but she probably wouldn't be able to eat. She fallowed Erika closely (closer than Erika would have liked) they went to the back of the school ware the goth kids usealy hang out but they weren't around. "what are you doing hear?!" Crona screamed in a whisper "I'm hiding! I'm not hear to hurt anyone I swear!" "you swear? You tried to kill everyone hear?!" "you did too!" Crona stopped "f- fine your right. But how do I know I can trust you?" "because I'm not doing anything for the new grand witch, not wile lady Medusa is here, you know how I feel, I told you." Crona paced around thinking "then you talked to her?" "she didn't remember me.." Crona sighed "that was really dangerous, pleas..pleas stay away from her, I know you like her but its just better for everyone." "fine.." Erika was lieng and maybe Crona knew it but Neither of them could afford a confrontation.

"so whats your name, now I mean.." Crona fidgeted as they walked down the hall toward the cafeteria "Emily Froger" "that's..awful" "i know, its the best I could come up with that I wouldn't forget. I was a terrible spy what do you expect?" Crona opened the door for Erika, a compulsive but polite habit she always held doors for people no matter what. "the food is free, but it all tasets bad." after they collected there daily government issue supplement pack (or lunch as it was generously refers to as) Erika fallowed Crona once more, "you can sit with us if you want, just don't blow your cover." the entire crew was siting at the table even Kid who uselessly spent his lunch in the faculty lounge (as he was considers faculty) there was an open seat next to and one in front of Maka, Crona took the seat next to her and Erika took the seat across from her. She didn't say much, she felt glances on her, she felt Kid staring at her seance she walked into class that morning and he probably had her figured out by now. "whose your friend Crona?" "i don't know her, err were not friends...i-i-i- I mean we..we just met. I mean we might be friends I just-...eh?" Maka giggled "okay okay. I get what you mean. Jeez calm down. So whats your name?" she looked at Erika "Emily.." she was unnaturally shy around a meister, the only one she ever talked to was Crona and she had raised by witches. "hello Emily." surprisingly Kid was the first to greet her, she didn't know who the young man was, only that out of all the people in the room he was dressed the nicest. "its nice to meet you." he kept his gaze forward on his meal (tofu a white rice.) . Across from him Liz sat uncomfortably 'oh dear god why? Why did we have to deal with this today?' she thought, "so ware are you from Emily?" "hmm? Nevada.." "oh, I just wasn't sure about your accent?well I was born in Canada but I don't think I have an accent" "its a beautiful accent." Kid said with a strange look in his eyes, Liz face palmed across the table. 'yeah he's sweet on her.'

(meanwhile..Death City department of macabre research.)

"well Ureal its great to see you back. But I have reservations on letting you come back to work." "such as?" Medusa made asked sternly with intentions of not being mean. "well you haven't shown up for work in seventeen years..." their was a pause "i was sick." "for seventeen years?" "i had..fibernialga?" she shrugged" the man gazed at her blankly "look if its something you'd rather not talk about then you don't have to, but don't just sit there and lie." "yes I would rather keep it private.." the man mulled it over "alright look, we need people like you, your a great asset in the field of research, not afraid to get your hands dirty ether. I'm letting you have your old job on a trail bases, but if you leave again there will be nothing here for you when you come back" "that's fair enough, Thank you." "you'll start next Monday."

"I'll see you then." she smiled backing out of the office.

(after class)

Erika walked down the street, she didn't know ware she was going and seemed to just be taking in the sights and sounds she stopped on the street corner silently watching a jet slowly pass over in the sky leaving a jet stream "you know that plane is about a mile away by now." she herd a familiar voice. "the further away something is the further back in time it actually is, were actually seeing that jet flying at thirty seven thousand feet as it was moments ago." Kid stood staring endlessly into the pail blue sky with his shimmering orange orbs "cool." she said with a small smile. "would you like some coffee?" she giggled "i just met you dude." Kid seemed to experience a bit of a malfunction, romantic pursuits were not his territory "of coarse, forgive me." he had a small blush "its okay, just chill out." kid had a strange toothy grin and gave a thumbs up "kay.." she shook he head and smiled at him "if I let you buy me that coffee will that mellow you out?"

"I'm dreadfully sorry for my strange behavior . I'm no man of the people like my father." this statement was useless to Erika because she still had no idea who Kid was, she assumed his father was some sort of aristocrat or politician. "it wasn't likely your some kind of serial killer or something." she looked around like she was about to ask a really obvious question, "no I'm not." he answerd before she could ask. They sat in silence for a wile "so, do you have a name?" he looked at her surprised she didn't already know. "well most people call me Kid." "just Kid?" he nodded "is that your real name?" again he was surprised, 'she can not possibly not know who I am..' he spent his entire life with people atomaticly calling to him as sir or treating him with the respect of high leadership, but this girl was different. "my real name is Lord Death the second." Erika sat straight up in her chair "its easier for people to just call me Deaths kid or Death the kid, and the name stuck." she sipped on her coffee to hide a nervous expression "kid, its been rely nice talking to you and I thank you for the coffee but I have to go."

"thank you for taking the time, perhaps we can do so again some time?" she hesitated "yeah, maybe."

(from the journal of Kid)

I once looked into a portal to another dimension, I was oh so curios to see what life was like beyond our whorled, what I saw I never imagined or envisand, I saw things that no person from this world should see nor possibly ever understand, it terrifyd me and I wish never to see such things in my life. But for witches this is common practice, day after day they stair into, study and come into contact with these things that a demigod such as I turn in pail to. they are a Brave people each intelligent and passionate of there study's , and yet my father has antagonized them for over eight hundred years and u cannot see why, I can see why the coalition of the grand witch is an enemy faction but why all witches? Witches are not allowed within Death city, those who are are treated as second class citizens, not allowed to own housing or a business in some establishments they can be refused service, I feel that my father is only trying to be protective of the city but he is misguided.

(in The Death Room)

"ohh grate your all hear!" lord Death bobbed back and forth in excitement, Maka and her group had assembled for a special mission from lord Death, Crona watched him sway from side to side as if he had abnormal body which confused her making her unable to give him her full undivided attention. "i have called you all hear for a special and most of all very dangerous mission, but only because I believe you three are the most capable students to complete the task." Maka smiled at the compliment "first of all a lesson for you all. Do any of you by chance know of Cthulhu?" "hes that god that witches worship." Crona said in a hasey manner. "hmm very good. He is one of the old gods and the last of them as well,he was the most wicked and mad of them all, and one day at the peek if his madness he sealed all of the old gods away in the void,I had the misfortune to meet him, it was so long ago but I remember very clearly, it was the last time seance then he has been seen, it is said that he slumbers in his mountain lair over a sea of madness and that one day he will return to rule again." Crona looked around "ph'nigiuli mglw'naf Cthulhu r'lyeh wagh'nagl fntagn" lord death contorted in surprise "what? What did you say?" "Cthulhu waits dreaming in his layer R'lyeh" she seemed ashamed to speak. He tilted his head and looked at her in the face. "how interesting. I wouldn't be surprised if you picked up a bit oh knowledge on him seeing as you were raised by witches." all eyes silently focused on Crona. "anyway that's neither hear not there." he bobbed back and forth in a cheery tone to cut the tension "on to whats important, why your all hear." he grabbed a leather bound book "you remember the book of Eibon, its is one of the many writings made using knowledge that was passed down by the ancient followers of Cthulhu." he fit the book back in a shelf behind him. "this knowledge is that which should be kept away from mortal hands, it is not and never will be ready for the things which are in these writings if the reader dose not go completely insane in attempts to do so. Your mission is to retrieve one of these writings. the Fragments of Ysskar have alluded us for many years and now as luck would have it their location may have been stumbled upon in the outskirts of Stoke-On-Trent. A team of meisters from the RDWMA ( the smaller English branch of the DWMA the "Royal" Death Weapon Meister Academy) has been dispatched to secure the surrounding aria but far few of them possess the skill or knowledge to continue to were the Fragments are held. So its up to you three to collect them before some witch comes along and takes them." "sounds easy enough." soul said wondering if he might collect and tasty souls on his trip. "one more thing..if I find out that any of you have try'd to read the fragments, or decipher them, if you so much as look at any illustrations whiten them I will confiscate your souls." "well that would suck but we wouldn't be that deep in the hole, we only have about sixteen." lord Death shook his head "no I mean I will take YOUR souls. Personally" he poked Soul in the chest, souls eyebrow made a nervous twitch and he backed away "gotcha.."

Book two: Would You Be Impressed.?

...


	19. Black Magic Woman

( the Laboratory of Stien)

'I regret this tattoo, it reminds me who I am' Medusa ran her had up the snake tattoo on her arm 'but I don't deserve to forget it do I? Wash my hands and be done with it, pretend that I'm a different person and further lie to the people iv already hurt?" she looked over at Stien asleep in bed next to her 'wares the accountability? So then what can I do? How do I start to repair the damage iv done?' she looked into the sealing 'Crona, obviously. I couldn't..possibly have made her to bad off right?'

What a sight, an old god, possibly the only in the world cut down, in a sorry state as it takes its last rasping breaths. "if it makes you feel better ill write a poem about you." its thick green blood pooled around her feet. "I'm going to kill you now..." she slumped it over with her foot and craned her blade high over her head. "if you see Ragnarok in hell tell him Crona says hi." she made a disturbed smile that terrifyde a beast truly unknown to man, with a swing of her arm she cleaved off its head. She picked its severed head up by the long horns protruding from its head. "you do not belong in this world." its body and severed head evaporated leaving a large soul, she picked it off the ground, "ill save this one, for my friends..." she turned to the room that was full wall to wall with shimmering souls. "tasty..." "Crona!" Maka rounded the corner of he ruins with scythe in hand "Crona what happened in here?" Maka looked around the damaged room. "you brought Soul just in time for dinner. Go ahead, we can share now that your here." she made an innocent Crona style smile "you did all this?" Crona nodded "w- what?..they weren't being very nice to me.." Soul hoped out of scythe form and began stuffing the souls in his Mouth. "aw man Crona you sure can cook!" Crona cast a smile at him over her shoulder as she turned to a stone monolith in the far end of the room, she slowly walked up to it "i know this, this thing is a tool, a transmitter of sorts." she placed her palm flat to its surface "the witches, they used them to send out their prares to the elder ones to ware ever they may be. The one I had just slain, he must have been its care taker." Maka pulled soul up by the collar before he could consume more than his share of souls "can it help us find the fragments of Ysskar?" Crona rounded the monolith staring at in curiously. Maka was made uneasy by the stone she stone monument, it wasn't made with any stone she recognized but then again she wasn't a geologist, it was a certain olive green color with a smooth chiseled texture well preserved in the underground labyrinth that they found themselves in. "doesn't it make you feel..off?" Maka asked nervously looking at the pillar. "yeah, that's just the cosmic radiation." Maka staggered back "that things radioactive?!" Crona looked at her with her calmly "its not going to give us cancer or anything, its like standing in front of a very powerful microwave, however wherever this monolith is transmitting to or from could probably melt your face." Crona looked around the stone alter behind the monolith, to the side was some sort of basin that would have possibly held an offering or perhaps a liquid , blood, alcohol, water exetra exetra, siting in the basin was a small taterd binding, a book that's leather covering hand been shredded by time and abuse, she picked it up. "this is it. She flipped threw the pages looking at the text, she couldn't read the language. "here, this should be it." she took her sword back out of its sheath. "whats up? " Maka asked alarmed "I'm getting ready." Crona stated simply.

"for what?" "iv played enough video games to know this is the part more bad guys come in.

suddenly as if on que they herd a sound from down the hall, the sound of a revving chainsaw.

"i am so FUCKING ready!" this psychotic brute stomped down the hallway. Of all the meanest nastiest scum bags in Araknis private army Giriko was the worst, I think at the end of the day it wasn't that he had lived far to long in this world being subject to a pointless rhythm of life as an over aggressive "antilectual" that made him such a terrible person, no dear reader it was the sweet sweet Crystal Meth and as long as Arakni supplyd him with all the Blue he wanted he'd skin as many people alive as she wanted. He revved the chain blade up his arm and stuck it to the ancient wall and cut deep desecrating the Cthulhu temple, not like he gave a damn about what some god thought of him, he was flying so fast on crank his eyes began to bleed. He saw something down the hall lurch into his path. "who wants to bleed?!" he yelled his eyes bulging. "its not polite to shout at people." he let out a growl, if their was anything he hated it was to be told what to do. How dare that stupid little boy tell him about being polite as he repeated to himself multiple times picking up speed toward Crona. "I'm guna cut your head off you little shit!" Maka rely didn't like the looks of this "whatever happens don't let him get the book". He began to run down the long hallway, "speed blade, second gear!" a chain wrapped around his foot the blade dug into the ground and pulled him forth at high speed.

(the death room)

"father, may I ask you something." kid sat with his father at a low table, "yes, go ah-head." he placed two sugar cubes in in front of kid cup. "about witches." he started, "yes what about them?" kid sterd the sugar into his tea. "have you ever considered leaving them be?" lord Death stared at him blankly "hm?" "father don't do this, I'm trying to ask you something serious." lord death turned his head and stared off into the doldrum planes of the over world "it is a hard thing for a god your age to understand, your mother was the same way, you think romanticly..." kid listened well to lord death as his voice became stone like, not the hard voice he used in anger but frigid in a word. "it is pleasant to think that one day meisters and soul eaters can live in piece with witches, but it is not safe, they are a danger to everyone. It is important for a new god like you whom will take my place to understand that your choices cannot always be the ones that make us all happy, but the one that make us safe, I know their not all part of the grand witch coalition but even still black magic and its study could result in untold loss." kid nodded, "i can since the subject bothers you." kid glanced up at him "is their anything you need to tell me?" Kid shook his head. Lord death looked down "your not going to let this go are you?" again Kid shook his head "ill give you one day to bring me thee resins I should allow witches to live In the confines of the City, then I will give it consideration, and if I DO, IF I DO, and their is Trouble then it is YOUR mess to clean up." "father.." "what?" kid looked up at lord death who had grown twenty feet tall. "thank you for the chance to proov the point. You will not be disappointed." "again. Your responsibility Kid."

"shit shit shit SHIIIIIIT! Arm rotation TOP GEAR!" Giriko made wiled swings Crona, his strike could kill her in one blow but she twisted and flailed, she stepd behind the monolith, he struck it and it began to crumble in the center, Crona felt the the uneasy feeling in her bones that the monolith gave off increase. She shuffled backward, he swung for her head but she bent her spine backwards and springing forward before he could counter her and she punched him in the nose "gerh! You bitch!" he round house kicked her in the chest sending her flying across the room, quickly she pulled herself up like a rag doll on a fish hook as her bones popped into place, it was possible that she had a couple of broken ribs. "Die die die die!" he made one last swing as she launched herself backwards out the door way of the alter room, the blades came so close to her that it cut ope her robe at the stomace section. Maka lay in wait and as she saw his body cross the threshold she made a swing with all her mite, the back end of the scythe made contact with his body, he was sent flying like a piece of cardboard caught in a jet stream, he crashed into the monolith breaking it in half, he was daisd, he coghed up a bit of blood from his Meth ravenged lungs. Maka and Crona watched as a glow began to raise from the monolith. "go." Maka looked over at Crona who looked back with a frightened look "go go go!" Crona ushered her along and they began to sprint down the hall. Giriko looked up at the bright wight glow, it was so hot all of a sudden it felt like his teeth were vibrating in his skull. Maka and Crona navigated the ruins and began to see daylight, and just for a second Crona thought she herd his voice one last time screaming "AAAAH my face its melting! SHIYT!"

"i probably should have stalled him a bit longer" a man in a lab coat said, Crona gave him a rag full of ice to put over his bruised eye. "he just came in and started wreaking the place." he gestured to the demolished artifact dig sight. Dr. Dee took the Fragments of Ysskar from the table. He was the only person lord Death allowed to try and decipher the mythos of the Cthulhu cults he's even read the Necronomicon front to back, he translate them for lord death for any propose the reaper sees fit.

"tell o'll face bones we'll have it to him in a few weeks." Maka watched a few researchers putting on radiation suits. "their going down there?" Dee started putting one on himself "if you kids took care of that beast that was down there we should be able to take it from hear." he zipped the suit up over his head and adjusted the window in the face of the mask. "you kids run along now, and make sure to sleep with your lead blankets tonight." he said walking casually into the ruins. Soul slapped his forhead "Aww man we forgot like half those souls down there!" he began looking for a radiation suit. Maka sighed "forget it soul their gone." soul deflated himself over a table "why cant I just have a decent meal?"

look for soul on twitter!

starving soul!

# hungry hungry hipsters!

(Death bucks coffee)

Erika stepped out to the outdoor seating area of Death Bucks, patty, Liz, Subaki and black star were all talking about some goings on having a hell of a time in their own little world, Kid however sat at another table alone writing in a note book. " home work?" she casually asked him, he looked up, "oh no its just a project.." she looked over to the book in front of him it read (witches and other nigh-fears) "a project involving witches?" Kid nodded "research for...never you mind. you'd just think it was silly." she leaned in closer "no I wouldn't, I'm actually very interested.." Kid was pleasantly surprised "okay, well..iv been thinking a lot about the nonexistent rights of witches in the City, it troubles me sometimes, I believe in change, I want to do something about it, but I cant seem to find the right information to make a case. Theirs no way of knowing them if iv never even talked to one." Erika had a guilty look on her face "well.." Kid put his pen down and looked her in the eye, their was a long silence between them, the sounds of their surroundings became intense to the point neither could focus, her hands became sweaty, a shiver went up Kids back. "I'm not going to hurt you." Erika nodded "i don't mean any harm ether." quite the meeting of minds it suddenly became, the assistant to one of the greatest living witches having coffee with the son of the grim reaper himself. "perhaps you and I need to have a private conversation." they were both trying to make sure the others weren't listening "yeah, I guise so." obviously he had his suspicions about her for a wile, but now he knew for sure, this new girl he had a crush on was a witch, but now he had a chance to help her live a normal life if she could help him clear the name of her kind.

Note: nondenominational holiday specal in the works for this holiday sesan! rejoic in the mindless fluff!


	20. One Life

Disclaimer: (spoiler alert but its important-ish) the character of Dark Crona (that's what ill call the mad version of Crona) and the conversation she has with Medusa is based on the Character Vaas from Farcry 3. I thought it was a perfect way to convey the sort of insanity that can truly take her mind.

Note: anyway enjoy this next chapter, and theirs even a short extra at the end! Also a bit of unrelated news I may be starting a new Fan Fiction of Jamie Hewlett and Alan Martians, "Tank Girl" should be a hoot, give it a read if you'd like, should be plenty of gore and fun deviant content.

"no pleas I have so much to live for!" another chilled was thrown into the air over the tree line. "now flank him!" an explosion shook the ground and several trees were leveled. "black*Star is everything okay?!" "i think he broke my leg!". Stien has been on edge sense he quit smoking, its gone as far as to effect the way he teaches class, the students run drill after drill and god help you if you cross him. Kirikou lepd from a tree at Stien with intention to strike with the pot of fire, Stine caught Kirikous fist with his palm, wile simultaneously delivering an electric jolt direct from his soul Stien grabbed him under the armpit and threw him over his shoulder. He looked around and the distroyd forest, the landscape and shrubbery crew of the maintenance department were going to have a job ahead of them. "is that all?" He asked watching some of the students licking their wounds limping back to the training grounds. "alright sound off if you need medical attention and we'll get Nygus to bring you some morphine." the students assembled at the clearing in the trees used for outdoor classes. Stien walked down the line of students who could stand. "Kid you did well until you noticed one of the buckles on your shoes were unbuckled." "i know I'm TEARBLE! I don't deserve to be a reaper.." he sobbed. "Jesus Kid pull your self together.." he walked further down the line "Maka is not team leader Crona, you don't have to follow her so closely." Crona made a shy nod. He marked her grade on the clip bored "Kirikou, ninja you are not, don't waist your valuable hand to hand skill on hiding in trees." he marked the clip bored. He came to Hiro who lay broken and bleeding on the ground with Excalibur doing a mediocre job of tending to his wounds. "I'm giving you a passing grade...only because I feel REALY sorry for you.." he gave Hiro a sympathetic look, Hiro managed to gargle up some blood in response. Excalibur patted him on the head "be strong Hiro, I shall tell you a story of my youth to inspire your recovery." Hiro tugged Stien pant leg. "kill meeee..." he rasped. Stien sneered at the sight of Excalibur, he moved past the next few student and stopped in front of Erika. He looked down at her "..." she looked back up at him unmoved by his bazaar gaze. "id like to address your choice in...weapon." he pointed the cricket bat she held at her side. "what? Its CA brand.." he looked down at it once more and then back at her calm stair. "you pass, good job..." he came to the end of the line and finished marking grades. "class is dissmisd, if you need medical attention pleas report to the infirmary." most of the students limped away after a hard day but Crona came up to him, after a moment she hugged him. He put his hand on the top of her head.

" I miss living with you." she said as they walked threw the forest. "you can come back any time you want." Crona shook her head, "not with Medusa living there, I cant deal with that yet." she looked off to the side "as long as your happy I'm happy." she said. "she wants to see you. Spend some quality time with you..i think she know theirs something wrong between you two." Crona kept silent for a wile "tell her id like to meet in the park, tomorrow evening, at the main entrance." Stien nodded. "ill try and get it arranged.." they walked down the last stretch of the trail.

(that night in the Death Room..)

"luckily Hiro should make a full recovery after ample doses of herbal medicines farmed by alchemists in Louisiana which father brings me to my first example, Alchemy and wika, two practices of witchcraft as a form of medical treatment, forty percent of drugs approved by the FDA are actually placebo pills, tools meant to calm people down to prevent hysteria, simply people get a bottle of Prozac and either half the pills do nothing or the medication has terrible side effects just as bad as the original condition, but alchemy is meticulously studied, recipes are crafted with care to insure maximum efficiency, its true that alchemy dose not have the expansive range that modern medicine mostly provides or claims to provide but at least it is honest." lord death tilted his head, he looked at Kid and then at Erika "i see.. that's all true. And very interesting. But you have yet to convince me fully." kid nodded "the allow me to continue to the subject of paranormal and spiritual research and development, Erika has enrolled herself at the academy.." lord Death twitched in surprise "she has?!" "yes father, and would you care to know her test results on her written enrollment test? The one that I made a sixty four on? The one that Ox Ford only achieved a ninety percent on?" he looked at her, she looked calmly back at him. "what was it?" "she completed the test with ten minutes to spare at ninety eight percent only due to the fact of an error she made wile bubbling in her answer. "that's unheard of.." "and you know its impossible to cheat wile Sid is watching the test takers.. it is because witches are sentience to and in key with the paranormal, with necromancy, with the elements, gods, Deidre and demons are their specialty as well as Kishin. the best way to combat the tearinys befalling the innocent will be to understand them." "correct, but we already have a research department at the DWMA." kid Nodded "one that I am sure will benefit from skilled Witches." lord death sat (or appeard to sit) in a small throne " very well. Make your last statement and I shall beguine making my desisan." kid closed the file in front of him standing dramaticly like his hero Phoenix Right. "i ask you to remember the valor of my fellow classmate Kim, the girl who has risked life and limb time and time again for the good of Death City, the same girl that you allow to live in a slum. And if you care not then I ask you to tell Erika to face that she will live the same life." Kid was so absorbed he didn't even notice the pens that he had symmetrically organized all rolled astray. Lord Death closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "very well son. We will begin to negotiate the terms in the morning.." "thank you father." lord death made a small nod, he looked over the Erika "don't make me regret this.."

(Death City park Thursday afternoon..)

"and you lied, to us, because that was your best chance of survival when you showed up, never mind that it was selfish to fool my father and me, and now you think you deserve a second chance at life?" Crona, a soft spoken person on her worst day had been disgusted to learn from Medusa that she had been faking her memory loss, but secretly glad that she had come clean about it so she was willing to give Medusa a try, but she wouldn't make it easy on her. "why do you think you deserve a second chance?" Medusa stood under the shade of the pines looking at the monotone toned chilled. "there is no correct answer, none exist." she looked Medusa in the eye almost the whole time she spoke "do you know what it means to be insane?" Medusa didn't know what that had to do anything. "you see Professor Stien told me that its was when someone dose the same thing over and over and expect a different result." she paced back and forth. "i didn't rely think that as true, I know there are other crazy things people do, but you know I recall how when I was chilled I trusted you over and over..and over..and over expecting you to be nicer to me. Dose that make me insane?" she was silent for a moment. "feel free to answer, the question wasn't rhetorical." Medusa couldn't find an answer, she wasn't even sure if this was the same Crona she knew. Seeing the shrunken black eyes in Crona's head as she turned in the dim forest confirmed that it was not. "okay fine don't answer, you can pass if you need to. How about when you used to train me as a chilled and every time I failed you threw me in a dark room over and over again expecting me to be better the next time, then what happened?" "i drove you insane." "right Right right! Your so smart haven't I ever told you that?" she had a wide smile but it broke back to a mono tone face. "what you did was crazy. But do you know the difference between you and me? YOU" she pointed "your not crazy." she patter her chest "I am. And so that brings us back to our first question why do you think you deserve another chance?" she giggled "well..have I ever told you what it means to be insane?"

(the laboratory of Dr. stien)

Stien helped Joe along with the last large trunk of luggage Mary arrived with setting it in the back of his truck. (one that drove from the right for some resin) "well I wish you two the best of luck." he said with a small bit of sadness in his voice. "behave yourself franken, pleas." Mary gave him a hug he returned the hug "don't worry its not like your moving out of the city or anything, we'll still see each other around." they broke away. "we'll see each other at work plenty I'm sure." Mary nodded "make sure Eureal and Crona get along." "an try en find a way to keep death Scythe from crashin on your couch so often, the guy worry's us." Joe added opening the door of his truck. "by Franken. Thanks for letting me stay here for a wile." "it was no problem, I enjoyed the time." he smiled, she climbed into the truck cab. "catch yu later Franky" Joe waved from the window Stien waved back as they drove down the dirt road of the cemetery. After a moment his phone rang "she must have forgotten something..." he took out his sell phone, he didn't recognize the number or area code but he answerd, " welcome to Furrisan wireless, you have a collect call from Tokyo Japan, would you like to accept the charges?" Stien sighed and pressed one, "thank you your call is being directed." he waited a moment. " good evening Dr. Franken Stien." "i swear I didn't have anything do with those counterfeit Yen." "what?" the woman on the other line asked. "Franken this is Asuza" "oooh Asuza how are you?" "I'm well. But that is not important right now. Iv already contacted lord Death, we've uncovered a plot by the coalition of the grand witch, they've set up shop on Easter Island with intentions of locating the island Ryleh." "well that's no good." "even worse Dr. Dee has disappear along with the fragments of Ysskar. We are now at threat level five, your orders are to assemble the team and meat me in japan for briefing. Understood?" Stien stood straight and made a salute even though she couldn't see him. "yes ma-am." "good you are dismissed." she hung up on the other line, stein relaxed and hung up. "assemble the team..."

(the Black Blood disease, A definitive guide, by Dr. Franken Stien and his assistant Crona Stien.)

Special thanks to Maka Albarn for observation and research.

to understand Black Blood it is important to note the variates, levels and stages of infection all of which will be covered in this short guide. To beguine we will chart the way of contracting the virus.

contact through saliva, this could be done by drinking after an infected individual or through sensual activity such as kissing. This scenario often results in low level infection and may not be of serious concern although it would be best to keep this sort of contact to a minimum as to not risk a more serious infection.

Blood contact in wuonds or oral means, this is a more serious mote of infection depending on the amount of blood ingested.

Sexual contact, it needs little more explanation than that.

contact with contaminated object, such as bedding, furniture or clothing constantly used by a black blood subject may cause a level of infection so small it may not eve be worth mentioning.

all these ways (excluding number 4) may after prolonged expose lead to higher levels of infection however Keep in mind low level infections are usually fought off by the bodys immune system.

Next we suppose that if you ever NEED this guide you will need to know how far your infection has progressed Here is the list in which we have compiled through research and observation of live subjects

infection. At this point the Cells of the black blood virus have just entered the blood stream, it is likely the subject is completely unaware, the infection is without pain its self, no burning sensation or harm to the nervosystem.

Decline. A subject at this point will start to become unwell, sweating, shakes, nausea, fever and respiratory inflammation may occur.

The gray stage, the black blood cells are eating the read blood cells and starting to take over they circulatory system spreading the disease throughout the body. This stage is the most fatal of the infection, the subject may loos contentiousness for several hours possibly days continuing the fever and sweating, the subject may loos several pounds through sweating and it is important to have them hospitalized or taken care of by MEDICAL PROFESSONALS.

The Black Stage. This is full infection and after a subject recuperates they will have to start living with the symptoms of full infection (see below) it is now important to imedently start rehabilitation and education to make the lifestyle as comfortable and liveable for the subject as possible.

At the point of infection pleas remain calm and keep heart rate at a minimum to prevent of the spread of the black blood cell, contact your doctor (who?) then curl up in the fetal position and wait for help.

Symptoms may include but are not limited to:

increased viral vulnerability

execs bleeding

hyper vitality

increased metabolism

sensory disruption

migraines

nausea

motion sickness

shakes/ trimmers

vivid nightmares and lucid dreams

black blood individuals posses a certain ability of Ato-rejuvination, it is instantaneous and uncontrollable if they are damaged the black blood will heal the wound, even something as fatal as a gun shot to the head could possible be healed. But the black blood needs fuel, the black blood will first seek out nonessential tissue to the body such as fat, dead cell tissue even mucus, next if none is available it will rely on Adrenalin if such is available, black blood can work without fuel momentary but eventually it will stop rejuvenation if there is not enough requisition, over use in the rejuvenation proses could result in rejuvenation sickness causing burning rashes or blisters over healed areas and an increase in the mental effects of the disease.

If you live with the disease and believe you may have contaminated one or multiple individuals pleas contact your local CDC (Center for Disease Control) headquarters and report the incident, you may or may not be held accountable.


End file.
